For the Future: One for all

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is a plan and action that tends to address

and solve different issues in the world, which is composed of 17 goals that are linked

together for it to be easier to address specific target issues in the world. One of the

universal goals is the reduction of inequalities in society, which is the 10th one. This

goal targets different aspects of disparities in the world, especially those disparities that

affect many people’s life or human lives. People generally think that inequality is the gap

between the poor and the rich, well at some point, it is correct. But it is critical to know

that there is a variety of inequalities in the world, there is unequal treatment of gender,

disparities in the system of education, or even income inequality that needs to

address (Ledbetter, 2012). These things are currently happening in the world at its

worst condition. That’s why goal number 10 plays a vital part in reducing the state of

inequalities in the world. The question is, what does exactly the root of inequalities?

What will happen if these global inequalities are not lower? The execution of the

reduction of inequalities is significant for the well-being of society worldwide because if

the world does not act, these existing inequality issues will get worsened in a matter of

time.

One of the carriers of the world’s wealth is from the elite group they are just a

small group that is composed of powerful and influential people but, they are one of the

reasons why there is inequality in terms of economic or financial. Elite is a social status

that is attributed to a single person. It is the result of social arrangement and it was

engineered, by means that people manipulated things to be considered as an elite

(Little, 2015). These people have this high level of social status since they are powerful
and influential, especially with the use of money. They also receive the highest form of

privilege in society since they have this wealth. Because of this manipulated status in

society, it created a disparity that causes discrimination to other people like those who

are in the lower and middle class of society. With the combination of corruption and

elitism, income inequality is formed and until now, it is considering a global issue for a

reason, that there is always an unproportioned distribution of income or wealth between

people of the community and its officials (Dominguez, 2014). People who are in the

lower/middle class of society experiencing this inequality, despite their hard work on

their job, they still receive the most underpaid income they don’t deserve. Because of

these people, the elite and corrupt officials, people suffer and, it also affected their life

and their family. In terms of economic inequality, the living status of people in the world

is greatly unproportioned because of the country that they are living in. Since it is a

developed and developing country, discrimination economically is unavoidable in it.

People are experiencing discrimination that causes a gap because of the country that

they came from. However, since there is an inequality even centuries ago, it all depends

now on people on how they will break that unequal treatment and progress. Because

there are countries that have dramatic progress, which is usually happening in

developed countries, while some developing countries are stuck with what they were

even decades ago. Global inequality is not about yourself, or what do you do for living,

it’s somehow about where you were born or where you are currently living, because that

is a huge factor in experiencing inequalities (Roser, 2013). When you are born in a

developing country, there is a higher chance that you wouldn’t be able to experience

good health and wealth because the society that you are living in will drag you down. It
is not you that will put yourselves into the world of inequalities, but the place you are

living. The Philippines is one of those countries that experiencing income inequalities

because of pressure brought by it in the country, which gives the government to

implement the TRAIN law or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion. Wherein

generally, it changes rate for individual taxpayers, VAT, estate tax, and the tax for

tobacco products but, it seems that it’s not beneficial for the majority of the

people (“Income Inequality,” 2018). This may be beneficial for the economy of the

Philippines since there is a growth of GDP and inflation of consumption, but, at the

same time, it is unfortunate for most of the average income workers because there is an

increase in Value-added tax in which applied to market products. Even though TRAIN

law is somehow good for the economy of the Philippines, it has still created gaps for

low-income workers and small-time businesses. It will worsen the unemployment rate

and, people will suffer, especially those who are in the middle/ lower class of society.

It is also needed to know why it is essential to reduce the inequalities to at least

achieve equality. But first, what is equality? Equality is all about giving guarantee to all

people that there everyone deserves to receive equal chance/ opportunity, that no one

deserves a penurious life just because of the family they came from (“Understanding

Equality,” 2018). No one should be getting any discrimination from anyone or anybody.

It is how it should be what equality is. That’s why this goal number 10 is very significant

in the present times because there’s a lot of discrimination in different aspects of society

happening. However, there’s this side of equality that is somehow needed to analyze

more if equality gives equal opportunity for everybody, then it seems that it still not

reduces inequality. Because if equality is providing the same amount of opportunity,

then there will be a chance that what is beneficial for you might not be useful for others.

That’s why knowing the sense of equity is also important. Equity is providing people

what they necessary need, which providing things according to their circumstances and

not just providing what is available (Daisy, 2019). It will be difficult for goal number 10 to

achieve this if equality is their goal because equality is very far different from equity.

People need to know the difference between these two to help with goal number 10.

Equality and equity are two unlike words with two different treatments. Because if the

goal is reducing inequalities to achieve equality, then it will just get worse. What is need

is to put equity to everyone over equality, and by that, there will be a higher chance of

achieving sustainable goal number 10.

Inequality in the field of education is also one of the reasons why economic

growth is slowing down. Education inequality affects income inequality and creates a

vast impact on society as well as on the well-being of an individual. Educational

inequality with the help of using data from 108 countries during the 1960s-2000s and

the result shows that inequality in education, as measured by the Gini coefficient plays a

vital role in economic growth (Castello and Domenech, 2002). It shows that the main

explanation of why economic growth is slowing down is because of inequality in

education. The one who gets affected is the family who has lower income and those

who are less fortunate. That is why people of color and unfortunate, is at risk when it

comes to the field of education. They are getting poorer, and their graduation rates are

getting lower annually, so the result would be fewer opportunities are given to them,

income inequality enters here. This problem is to consider macroeconomic issues in

society, and this is all related to education inequality. To have a quality education, the

salary of teachers should rise but, it is somehow impossible due to economic problems

or corruption that is caused by the higher-ups and also due to the status of the tax base.

A good tax base would also lessen education inequality because a good tax base would

result in quality education. The thing that could resolve this problem is the funding of

schools, particularly for the public schools, because the family that has lower incomes

could enroll their children in public schools. However, the low funding of public schools

would lead to a limited number of facilities that would aid the children's needs. This

should be fixed to resolve the inequality in terms of education. This problem regarding

inequality in education would still occur in the future, and no one could deny that fact.

This problem could not get easily solved in a year or two, it needs treatment, and the

help of the public, the fact that biases still exist in this world, solving this would be easy.

It's not a one-step with one solution scenario. It is a step-by-step process that would

result in long term solution and long-term results for the better good of society.

In connection with education inequality, people in society also suffer from income

inequality. Wherein the graduates from public schools, which means they did not have

the privileged to enter a private school, consume low income compared to others. The

reason behind this inequality is simply because of the rising inequality in terms of

education. Initial inequality that is currently happening is also because of the uneven

distribution of assets that affects the quality of education, resulting in slow economic

growth (Deninger and Squire,1998). It leads to an income that is lower than those who

have attended private schools. If one individual is living in a place where he or she pays
rent, then less funding would have to be saved for education. That is the reason why

public schools are existing. However, the necessity of having skills attained is also vital

even if an individual consumed a year of education and had completed it but does not

have the skills, can also be considered as a disadvantage (Woessmann, 2014). This

simply implies that graduating without skills is simply nothing this might aid the

inequality in terms of income. Even if you are considered less fortunate and graduated

from public school but have the skills, maybe the income inequality issue would have

solved, but it is not enough because time has to invest in this matter.

 The execution of the reduction of inequalities is significant for the well-being of

society worldwide because if the world does not act, these existing inequality issues will

get worsened in a matter of time. Each time that inequality increases, it also decreases

the chance of local and global governments like existing international organizations, to

handle these challenges effectively (Hurrell and Woods, 1999). That is the reason why

Sustainable development Goal 10, reducing inequalities, is vital in all terms and

conditions. People would still encounter these challenges, particularly the disparities in

the society in the future, sustainable development goal aims to reduce if not stop it

completely, because ceasing inequality is a long-term process. And if ever inequality is

not reduced by the year 2030, it would affect the labor of each human being.  Global

economic, including political disparities, is one of the most controversial issues today

because it involves a deviation from equality (Beitz, 2001).

Sustainable development goal number 10 plays a significant part in reducing the

state of distinct occurring inequalities in the world. The testimonies from above show the

root of disparities is from a variety of issues, and if these global inequalities are not
lower, the complex world would be so helpless. If ever inequality would lessen by the

target year, the health of the people worldwide would be in good terms. Reduced

inequality would also improve the social relationship of each human being, especially on

woman's side, wherein they are treated unequally due to their gender. The quality of

education would also improve if and only if the inequality is decreasing, more

opportunities would open especially to those who deserve it, and slowly would achieve

the economic growth that each country wants in the first place. It may seem impossible,

but as long as sustainable development goal 10 exists and everyone would participate

in this movement, the impossible things are achievable.