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Social exclusion
Social Exclusion
First introduced by sociologists to refer to new
sources of inequality.
Continues to inform applied social research,
which aims to understand and tackle
disadvantage and inequality.
- People who live in a dilapidated housing
estate, with poor schools and few
employment opportunities may be denied the
opportunities for self-betterment that most
people in society have.
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Social exclusion implies its opposite:
social inclusion.
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Attempts to foster inclusion of
marginalized groups are now part of
agenda of modern politics (though how
this is done differs accross societies).
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Ways in which individuals become cut off
from full involvement in wider society:
◦ Either by decisions lying outside their control
 Banks refusing credit to people living in a certain
postcode area
 Insurance rejected because of personal
history/background
 Employee laid-off later in life refused further job due
to age
◦ Or by self-exclusion: ‘drop outs’, ‘non-voters’
◦ Be conscious of the interaction between human
agency and responsibility on the one hand, and
the role of social forces in shaping people’s
circumstances on the other.

Weak and strong versions of social
exclusion.
◦ Weak version: Sees the central issue as ensuring
the inclusion of the currently excluded
◦ Strong version: Also seeks social inclusion, but in
addition tries to tackle the processes through
which relatively powerful social groups ‘exercise
their capacity to exclude’.

Factors that prevent individuals or groups
from having the same opportunities that are
open to the majority of the population.
Four dimensions to social exclusion
1. Poverty or exclusion from adequate income
or resources
2. Labour market exclusion
3. Service exclusion
4. Exclusion from social relations

Labor market exclusion
◦ Work is not only important for an adequate
income but it also is an important arena for
social interaction
◦ Labor market exclusion, thus, can lead to
other forms of exclusion
◦ Not being part of the labor market does not
only mean being unemployed
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Retired
Involved in domestic or caring activities
Unable to work (disability)
Students

Service exclusion
◦ Lack of access to basic services
 In the home (power and water supplies)
 Outside (access to public transport, shops, financial
services, schools, hospitals)
◦ Individual exclusion
 An individual cannot use a service because cannot
afford it
◦ Collective exclusion
 A service is not available to the community

Exclusion from social relations
◦ Unable to participate in common social
activities (visiting friends and family,
celebrations, hobbies, holidays)
◦ Being isolated from friends and family
◦ Lack of practical and emotional support in
times of need
◦ Lack of civic engagement (voting, getting
involved in politics)
◦ Being confined to home (disability, caring
responsibilities, pathology)
Examples of Social Exclusion

Housing and neighbourhoods
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Large stratified housing market
Dependent upon existing and projected resources
Both at household and community level
Exclusion can take on a spatial dimension (Tarlabaşı)
Rural areas
◦ Sparsely populated areas have less access to goods,
services and facilities
◦ Transport is a key need leading to car dependence

Homelessness
◦ No address makes participation in society difficult
◦ Mental health patients, young people, others suffering
from single or multiple personal disasters
◦ Most vulnerable to homelessness are people from
lower working-class backgrounds who have no
specific job skills and very low incomes.
◦ Long term joblessness.
◦ Victims of violence on the streets but excluded from
the systems of legal and police protection.
◦ Provision of more adequate forms of housing
Crime and social exclusion
The standards of economic status and
consumption promoted within society
cannot be met through legitimate means
by the socially excluded population.
(Remember young men stealing to buy
their girlfriends diamond rings for
valentine’s day!)
 Labeling of the youth in poor areas as
anti-social, susceptible to crime and
intolerant of work.
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Social exclusion at the top
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A minority of individuals at the top of
society can opt out of participation in
mainstream institutions by merit of their
affluence, influence and connections.
Retreat from public education and
healthcare services; closed off residential
communities.
Escape from their social and financial
responsibilities into a closed, private realm,
separate from the rest of the society.
Undermines social solidarity and cohesion,
detrimental to an integrated society.