There is growing concern about inequality, in South Africa and
globally. A number of countries have experienced a rise in
inequality despite economic growth, and there is compelling
evidence that high rates of inequality have negative consequences
not only for the poor but for society as a whole. The issue of inequality
is particularly pertinent in South Africa, where inequities in access to
resources and capital, opportunities and services have been structurally
entrenched over many decades, and are hard to reverse.
Children who are born to poor parents and grow up in poor
households are likely to remain poor, and in this way the inequalities
of apartheid are reproduced. A key objective of the National
Development Plan is to reduce inequality substantially by 2030.1
This will require addressing the inequities which determine the
opportunities available to people from the day they are born.
This essay considers the following questions:
• What is the difference between poverty and inequality?
• What do we know about inequality in South Africa?
• Why focus on children and inequality?
• What are some of the interrelated dimensions of inequality for
children?