Three Key Causes of Social Exclusion
Social exclusion refers to the absence of participation and opportunities for individuals or groups within the fundamental dynamics of their society. This complex, multidimensional phenomenon stems from a variety of interconnected economic, social, and political factors. Identifying these core causes is essential to comprehending and mitigating its widespread impact.
What is Social Exclusion?
Social exclusion is defined as the lack of participation and opportunities for individuals in the basic, daily life of their community. It often manifests as the rejection of individuals with traits differing from socially accepted norms, depriving them of fundamental rights and impeding their full societal development.
While prevalent in developing nations, social exclusion is also observable in developed societies. It frequently takes forms such as inequality, marginalization, discrimination, poverty, and vulnerability among certain population segments. Contributing factors typically include economic status, gender, race, religion, disabilities, sexual identity, and migratory status.
Although the term “social exclusion” is relatively recent, the phenomenon itself has a long history, appearing in all civilizations. It is a collective, multifaceted, and multidimensional issue, frequently involving the use of pejorative social labels to differentiate and stigmatize, thereby reinforcing unequal relationships between individuals or groups.
The causes are diverse, primarily rooted in economic, social, and political spheres. The extensive list of underlying factors is nearly infinite, reflecting the phenomenon’s complex and varied manifestations.
History of the Social Exclusion Concept
In many regions, governments actively strive to minimize social exclusion through integrative policies and measures promoting equal rights and opportunities. The aim is to ensure all individuals’ fundamental rights are respected, fostering full societal integration to eliminate exclusion.
The contemporary understanding of exclusion emerged post-World War II, gaining significant traction in the 1980s. This period saw the term become central in various countries, particularly within the context of social policy. The resolution titled “Combatting Social Exclusion” marked the term’s first official appearance.
While widely adopted in some legislation, other societies, including the United States and many Asian nations, have shown less interest in combating social exclusion under this specific terminology. Its reception has been minimal in several countries, and while some regions have shown intent, significant progress in its eradication using this framework has been limited.
Notably, in areas where the concept of social exclusion is less known, the term poverty is often used instead. Although related, poverty primarily refers to deprivation of wealth and economic hardship, whereas social exclusion encompasses a much more multifaceted, multidimensional, and multicomponent problem.
The 3 Types of Social Exclusion Causes
The causes of social exclusion are numerous, but they can be broadly categorized into three main types: economic, sociocultural, and political.
1. Economic Causes
Insufficient purchasing power is a primary driver of social exclusion, creating significant societal divides. A lack of financial resources, regardless of location, inherently leads to difficulties in living a full life.
For many, economic poverty is synonymous with social exclusion, leading some legislative bodies to conflate the two. However, while closely linked, economic poverty is merely one cause leading to exclusion, which, as previously noted, is a multidimensional phenomenon.
Economic causes of social exclusion include:
- Scarcity of income
- Unstable employment
- Unemployment
- Insufficient wages for savings
- Debt
- Excessive taxation
- Precarious work conditions
- Dependents (e.g., large families to support)
2. Sociocultural Causes
Sociocultural causes are varied and highly dependent on societal structure. These often include personal characteristics deemed socially unacceptable, forcing individuals into isolation and leading to discrimination and direct social exclusion. These include:
- Sexual orientation
- Sex and gender
- Race and ethnicity
- Nationality and cultural identity
- Mother tongue
- Religion
A significant sociocultural cause of exclusion is the absence of a support network, a common issue among migrant populations. This refers to lacking family or friends from whom to receive assistance when needed. For instance, migrant single mothers often face this challenge, being too far from relatives for support and forced to independently balance family and work life.
Another factor is an individual’s “voluntary” self-exclusion, which can stem from various personal histories. In some cases, it’s due to a mental health condition hindering social interaction, such as social phobia or antisocial personality disorder.
Finally, social exclusion can also arise from an individual’s own behavioral problems. Some individuals, despite lacking socially unaccepted traits, struggle to integrate due to disruptive behaviors or a complete lack of social skills, even without a mental disorder. This can deter others from wanting to spend time with them.
3. Political Causes
Political causes often intertwine with sociocultural and economic factors, as politics is inseparable from culture and economics. This category encompasses any cause of social exclusion related to ideology, human rights, and freedom of expression.
While political exclusion is rare in some countries, it is frequent in authoritarian regimes where only one or a limited set of ideologies are deemed acceptable. Consequently, it is common to find policies in certain regions that promote the isolation of those who do not align with the ruling power’s ideology.
The lack of legally recognized rights is also a political cause of social exclusion, a historical constant that has led to discrimination based on cultural, social, and economic aspects. An economic example is the early liberal revolutions where census suffrage was implemented, granting voting rights only to those with a specific income level.
Another example of lacking rights, culturally related, is the situation of many minority language speakers who lack laws promoting their use or recognizing their right to use them in administrative contexts. For instance, speakers of languages without full official status are not politically recognized to receive education or interact with bureaucracy in these languages.