Society & Inequality
Vocabulary for IELTS essays on social justice, gender, ageing populations, crime, and community.
Foundation
Simple, clear usage
Intermediate
Academic context
Band 9
Sophisticated, Band 9 style
10 words
The state of not being equal, especially in terms of wealth, income, opportunity, or social treatment across different groups or individuals.
🌱 Foundation Example
"Inequality means that some people have much more money or opportunities than others."
Common collocations:
The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, particularly on the grounds of race, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
🌱 Foundation Example
"Discrimination means treating people unfairly because of who they are."
Common collocations:
The process by which an increasing proportion of a population moves from rural to urban areas, and cities expand in size and density.
🌱 Foundation Example
"Urbanisation is when more people move to cities and cities get bigger."
Common collocations:
The ability of individuals or families to move between different socioeconomic strata — upward through education, career advancement, or inheritance, or downward through economic misfortune.
🌱 Foundation Example
"Social mobility means being able to improve your position in society."
Common collocations:
A demographic shift in which the median age of a population rises, typically due to increased life expectancy and declining birth rates.
🌱 Foundation Example
"An ageing population means more old people and fewer young people in a country."
Common collocations:
The process of combining different groups, communities, or systems into a unified whole; in social contexts, the inclusion of minority groups into mainstream society.
🌱 Foundation Example
"Integration means different groups of people living and working together."
Common collocations:
The state in which access to rights, resources, and opportunities is unaffected by gender, and where all genders are treated with equal dignity and respect.
🌱 Foundation Example
"Gender equality means men and women have the same rights and opportunities."
Common collocations:
The state of being extremely poor; lacking the financial means to meet basic needs including food, shelter, and healthcare. Measured in absolute or relative terms.
🌱 Foundation Example
"Poverty means not having enough money for basic needs like food and housing."
Common collocations:
The movement of people from one place to another, especially from one country to another, either voluntarily or due to conflict, economic necessity, or environmental factors.
🌱 Foundation Example
"Migration is when people move from one country to another to live and work."
Common collocations:
The degree to which the members of a community share common values, trust each other, and work together for collective wellbeing.
🌱 Foundation Example
"Community cohesion means people in a neighbourhood trust and help each other."
Common collocations:
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