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125 Social Justice Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Social justice is a crucial aspect of our society that addresses issues of equality and fairness in various aspects of life, including education, employment, healthcare, and criminal justice. Writing an essay on social justice can be a powerful way to raise awareness about these important issues and spark meaningful discussions.

If you're struggling to come up with a topic for your social justice essay, we've got you covered. Here are 125 social justice essay topic ideas and examples to help you get started:

The impact of systemic racism on communities of color

Gender inequality in the workplace

The criminalization of poverty

LGBTQ+ rights and discrimination

Access to healthcare for marginalized communities

Police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement

Environmental justice and climate change

Disability rights and accessibility

Income inequality and the wealth gap

Indigenous rights and land sovereignty

Immigration and refugee rights

Mental health stigma and access to care

Education equity and the school-to-prison pipeline

Reproductive rights and access to healthcare

The impact of colonialism on global social justice issues

Human trafficking and modern slavery

Workers' rights and fair labor practices

Access to clean water and sanitation

Disability rights in the workplace

The criminal justice system and mass incarceration

LGBTQ+ rights in the military

Access to affordable housing and homelessness

Food insecurity and poverty

Gender-based violence and domestic abuse

The impact of globalization on social justice issues

Disability rights in education

Indigenous rights in the criminal justice system

LGBTQ+ rights in sports

Access to mental health care for marginalized communities

The intersection of race and gender in social justice issues

The impact of social media on social justice movements

Disability rights and technology accessibility

Environmental racism and pollution in marginalized communities

Gender inequality in STEM fields

The impact of gentrification on low-income communities

LGBTQ+ rights in healthcare

Access to reproductive healthcare for marginalized communities

The impact of colonialism on indigenous communities

Disability rights and transportation accessibility

The criminalization of homelessness

Gender inequality in the arts and entertainment industry

The impact of climate change on marginalized communities

LGBTQ+ rights in the workplace

Access to affordable childcare for working families

Disability rights and voting accessibility

The impact of racism on mental health outcomes

Gender-based violence in the military

The intersection of race and class in social justice issues

Access to affordable higher education for low-income students

Disability rights in the criminal justice system

The impact of ableism on healthcare accessibility

Gender inequality in political representation

The criminalization of drug addiction

LGBTQ+ rights in the legal system

Access to clean energy for marginalized communities

Disability rights and inclusive recreation

Economic inequality and social mobility

Indigenous rights in the education system

LGBTQ+ rights in the foster care system

Access to mental health care for veterans

The impact of poverty on educational outcomes

Disability rights and employment discrimination

Gender inequality in the tech industry

The criminalization of sex work

LGBTQ+ rights in the criminal justice system

Access to affordable public transportation for low-income communities

Environmental justice and urban planning

Disability rights and independent living

Gender-based violence in the workplace

The impact of racism on healthcare disparities

LGBTQ+ rights in the education system

Access to affordable childcare for single parents

Disability rights and emergency preparedness

Indigenous rights in the healthcare system

The criminalization of mental illness

Gender inequality in the legal system

The impact of ableism on social inclusion

Access to affordable housing for seniors

Disability rights and social security benefits

The impact of sexism on reproductive rights

Gender inequality in the criminal justice system

Access to affordable healthcare for undocumented immigrants

Disability rights and inclusive education

Economic inequality and access to financial resources

Indigenous rights in the legal system

These are just a few examples of social justice topics that you can explore in your essay. Remember to choose a topic that you are passionate about and that aligns with your values and beliefs. Social justice essays have the power to educate, inspire, and create positive change in our society, so don't be afraid to dive in and start writing. Good luck!

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The tragic deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky have shown the world how deeply embedded racial injustice and racism are in the social fabric of the United States.

These recent acts of violence have raised a set of complex and challenging questions about inequality in our society: Why are Black Americans repeatedly targeted by the police? What can be done to stop further atrocities against minority communities from occurring? As some protests against these deaths turn violent, are political protests and demonstrations an effective way to instigate change? How can we build a more just society?

These important questions are among the subjects of Stanford scholars’ work. Some researchers have worked with police agencies to develop recommendations for how officers can build safer and stronger relationships with the communities they serve. Others have examined what makes some political protests effective and why others turn violent. Researchers have also looked at how racial injustice cuts across other parts of society – such as schools and workplaces – and what can be done to reduce disparities. Here is some of that research and more.

Identifying bias in the police

Stanford social psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt  has worked with police departments across the country to help them recognize implicit bias and understand racial disparities in policing. Her work with the Oakland Police Department, for example, resulted in 50 recommendations about how police agencies can build better relationships with the communities they serve.

Eberhardt’s work with the Oakland Police Department underscores how important data and transparency is for police agencies to identify specific problem areas and create evidence-based solutions.

“Our recommendations are broad but are anchored in our primary mission of pushing agencies to collect more data and to do more with the data they collect,” wrote Eberhardt in the report. “For many agencies, this will require a change in mindset: it requires seeing themselves not only as crime-fighting institutions but also as institutions of learning.”

Helping communities leverage better data between the police and the public are Sharad Goel, a professor of management science and engineering, and Cheryl Phillips, a computational journalist and lecturer at Stanford. Together, they founded the Stanford Open Policing Project , to help researchers, journalists, and policymakers investigate and improve interactions between police and the public.

Cops speak less respectfully to black community members

Professors Jennifer Eberhardt and Dan Jurafsky, along with other Stanford researchers, detected racial disparities in police officers’ speech after analyzing more than 100 hours of body camera footage from Oakland Police.

Stanford big data study finds racial disparities in Oakland, Calif., police behavior, offers solutions

Analyzing thousands of data points, the researchers found racial disparities in how Oakland officers treated African Americans on routine traffic and pedestrian stops. They suggest 50 measures to improve police-community relations.

Numbers about inequality don’t speak for themselves

In a new research paper, Stanford scholars Rebecca Hetey and Jennifer Eberhardt propose new ways to talk about racial disparities that exist across society, from education to health care and criminal justice systems.

Helping journalists use data for investigative reporting

Stanford University scholars are launching a data-driven initiative to help journalists find stories at a lower cost, to support local newsrooms explore public interest issues and fight against misinformation.

A ‘veil of darkness’ reduces racial bias in traffic stops

After analyzing 95 million traffic stop records, filed by officers with 21 state patrol agencies and 35 municipal police forces from 2011 to 2018, researchers concluded that “police stops and search decisions suffer from persistent racial bias.”

Race and mass criminalization in the U.S.

Stanford sociologist discusses how race and class inequalities are embedded in the American criminal legal system.

Raising awareness and creating change

As protest erupts across the country, what makes some demonstrations more effective than others? Stanford sociologist Robb Willer is studying what causes certain social protests to be successful and others to backfire. For example, he studied violent confrontations between white nationalist protesters and anti-racist counter-protesters in both Charlottesville, Virginia, and Berkeley, California, and found that violence by anti-racist protesters can lead people to view them as unreasonable, which may, in turn, lead to people identifying less with the group.

Willer, a professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences and the Graduate School of Business (GSB), also found that when anti-racists turn their protest into violence it can backfire even further: In some cases, it can even result in support for the other side.

Some of Willer’s colleagues in GSB have also studied what makes social movements successful. For example, Sarah A. Soule , the Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior, has studied how social movements are more effective when they are part of coordinated efforts with legislators. 

“With the rise of the internet,” Soule said, “modern movements can mobilize constituents through their websites and social media. If your end goal is to get 500,000 people to turn up on the Mall in Washington, D.C., Twitter is great at that. Facebook is great at that. But if your goal is to actually make lasting change in the system, you have to work within the system – to essentially get a seat at the table.”

How violent protest can backfire

When a protest group with strong public support turns violent, people may perceive them as less reasonable. In turn, this leads people to identify with them less, and ultimately become less supportive, according to a new study by Stanford sociologist Robb Willer.

It takes more than mass protests to drive change

Those large-scale protests on everything from climate change to wealth inequality make for engaging news segments. But do they result in real change? It turns out social advocacy organizations have greater impact on federal legislation when their experts get to testify.

Robb Willer: The powerlessness paradox

Researchers find that feeling powerless can lead people to support systems that disadvantage them.

Seven factors contributing to American racism

Of the seven factors the researchers identified, perhaps the most insidious is passivism or passive racism, which includes an apathy toward systems of racial advantage or denial that those systems even exist.

Where do advocates come from?

A strong sense of conviction can both encourage and discourage people from speaking out.

How protests can swing elections

A new study shows that both liberal and conservative protests have had a real impact on U.S. House elections.

A better way to diffuse racial discrimination

Research shows why understanding the source of discrimination matters.

Building a more just future

Overcoming racial injustice requires a critical examination of how it cuts across different sectors of society, such as in the workplace and in schools. 

Sean Reardon , a professor in the Graduate School of Education, has looked closely at how poverty intersects with the educational achievement gap. While racial segregation is a major indicator of educational inequality, Reardon’s research has also shown the impact of attending impoverished schools on Black and Hispanic students.

“It’s not the racial composition of the schools that matters. What matters is when Black or Hispanic students are concentrated in high-poverty schools in a district,” said Reardon, who has set up the Educational Opportunity Project to help other researchers identify solutions in their areas to reduce educational disparities throughout the U.S.

Meanwhile, other researchers have shown how academic achievement can be hindered in other ways. For example, Claude Steele , a professor of psychology in the School of Humanities and Sciences, found that even if students are well-prepared, negative stereotypes can affect how they perform. 

School is not the only setting where stereotyping results in devastating consequences. Stanford research has also shown how it leads to hiring discrimination and underfunded companies, among other problems.

New evidence shows that school poverty shapes racial achievement gaps

Racial segregation leads to growing achievement gaps – but it does so entirely through differences in school poverty, according to new research from education Professor Sean Reardon, who is launching a new tool to help educators, parents and policymakers examine education trends by race and poverty level nationwide.

Access to program for black male students lowered dropout rates

New research led by Stanford education professor Thomas S. Dee provides the first evidence of effectiveness for a district-wide initiative targeted at black male high school students.

Science lessons through a different lens

In his new book, Science in the City, Stanford education professor Bryan A. Brown helps bridge the gap between students’ culture and the science classroom.

Toolkits help tackle real-world problems

A lab in the Psychology Department at Stanford has created a set of free toolkits to help people resolve complicated issues, including resources to help people deal with disagreements.

Stereotyping makes people more likely to act badly

Even slight cues, like reading a negative stereotype about your race or gender, can have an impact.

Race influences professional investors’ judgments

In their evaluations of high-performing venture capital funds, professional investors rate white-led teams more favorably than they do black-led teams with identical credentials, a new Stanford study led by Jennifer L. Eberhardt finds.

How emotions may result in hiring, workplace bias

Stanford study suggests that the emotions American employers are looking for in job candidates may not match up with emotions valued by jobseekers from some cultural backgrounds – potentially leading to hiring bias.

Racial disparities in school discipline are linked to the achievement gap between black and white students nationwide

Research using a Stanford database of test scores from all U.S. public schools is the first to document the relationship at a national level.

Teaching difficult histories

Michael Hines talks about why students need to hear their own stories reflected in history books and classes.

Reducing racial disparities in school discipline

Stanford psychologists find that brief exercises early in middle school can improve students’ relationships with their teachers, increase their sense of belonging and reduce teachers’ reports of discipline issues among black and Latino boys.

105 Social Inequality Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best social inequality topic ideas & essay examples, 💡 interesting topics to write about social inequality, 🎓 good research topics about social inequality, ⭐ simple & easy social inequality essay titles, ❓ research questions about social inequality.

• Social Class Discrimination In this paper, I analyze three articles on social class and inequality to find out whether the authors’ views agree with mine on the negative attitudes towards the poor by the middle class and the […]
• Social, Cultural and Gender Inequality From a Global Perspective It is the duty of the tutor to craft a lecture-room environment that serves to enhance meaningful discussions concerning gender. This is due to the fact that students learn best in various ways.
• Hip-Hop and Rap Impact on Social Inequality For instance, Beyonce is one of the most famous artists in the world who have stated her opinion regarding misogyny related to artists and other black women.
• Social Inequality, Socialization, and Values Living in terms of limited access to resources also influences career choice and the level of income. As a result, the problem remains unresolved, and communities suffer from the unfair distribution of benefits.
• Social Inequality and Discrimination Gender discrimination is when a person or a group of people is treated unfairly or unfairly because of their gender. Moreover, there is a classification of the thinking model in which a person exalts his […]
• Researching of Social Inequality In this paper, I look at the social injustices suffered by minority communities in these eras, how they sought to solve them, and the coverage of these critical periods of American history in the textbooks. […]
• Solution for Social Inequality by Transforming Human Attitudes On the macro-scale, the poverty redress policies emphasize the importance of economic growth while the issue of social inequality remains in the background.
• Social Inequality in Literary Works For example, in Recitatif, the writer describes the adversities of the lives of two girls living in a shelter, Twyla and Roberta.
• Social Inequality, Capitalism, and Globalization It replaces slavery of antiquity and negatively affects almost all aspects of society, from the inequality of men and women to the sphere of science and education.
• Social Inequality Principle According to the COVID-19 From the five principles that figured out the emergence of social inequality, I would like to discuss the principle about the interplay of Power, Privilege, and Prestige according to the current terrifying occasion of a […]
• COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Inequality Currently, the world community is rethinking the problems of a multinational state in the context of measures that can stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus on the planet.
• Social Inequality in Canada and Its Main Factor The promotion of capitalism, the living conditions of most of the citizens, the percentage the rich control in terms of national wealth, and the promotion of stratification are the key factors that explain why social […]
• Comparing Perspectives on Social Inequality The authors formulate two categories, according to which the society’s employees receive compensation for their contribution the functional importance and the scarcity of personnel.
• Social Inequality Problem Overview Both in the case of Arabic women and black slavery, people are depicted as their basic rights by some groups of individuals, which is inappropriate.
• Zora Neale Hurston “Sweat”: The Issue of Social Inequality of Women and Men On the one hand, it represented a true social situation, and on the other hand, it helped to illustrate the life of Afro-American people at the beginning of the twentieth century.
• The Problem of Social Inequality The project is one of the ways to convey the urgency of the problem to the broad public. This will keep the site up to date and highlight the relevance of problems.
• Social Inequality: Family, Economics and Wages The first is the world of work, living in a declining share of income for the majority of the people, and which has an extreme shortage of money for the purchase of even essential goods.
• Social Inequality at School: Vision Winterkorn was in charge of the company when it faced the major crisis, the echoes of which are still causing issues.”The Volkswagen Diesel Fraud” as the world knows it, was a major scandal that Winterkorn […]
• Social Inequality at School: The G-Spot The gland is claimed to have the connection to the G-spot that is perceived rather as a system of glands, tissue, and nerves.
• The Inter-Sectionality Theory and Social Inequality The inter-sectionalist theory indicates that cultural identifiers such as ethnicity, gender, as well as race, are the prime factors contributing to actions that result in mistreating a group of individuals, and uplifting others. The fact […]
• Social Inequality in the United States Social inequality refers to the difference in the quality of life experienced by different people in the same community, usually between the rich and poor.
• Social Inequality Issue Analysis Thesis Social inequality is a system and systematic worked as the framework of society and its functionality. What is acknowledged to be a hierarchical social structure are essentially confined to the primary units of economic […]
• Social Factors Perpetuating Inequality It seems reasonable to analyze the problem of inequality and factors perpetuating it from the point of the symbolic interactionist perspective.
• Nigeria vs. Sweden: Education System & Social Inequality The evaluation of the education systems in Sweden and Nigeria will prove the need for increased literacy levels and the solution of financial problems to find out the balance between developed and developing countries.
• Social Inequality: Hip-Hop Culture and Movement When it comes to defining the term ‘social movement’, it is important to understand that the process of a particular group of people striving to have their voice heard in the public sphere, must be […]
• Social Inequality, Constitution, and Revolution Rousseau argued that in the past people had no hunger for individual ownership of the property until one person fenced a piece of land and claimed that the land belonged to him; after this, people […]
• Hip-Hop Subculture as Answer to Social Inequality One of the most notable aspects of a contemporary living in America is the fact that, as of today, the sub-culture of Hip-Hop had ceased being considered in terms of a largely marginalized socio-cultural phenomenon.
• Social Inequality and Uneven Educational Distribution Social inequality has a greatly influenced the distribution of resources in the American society. The majority class has created a culture of favoritism that has resulted in suffering amongst people of the minority class.
• Public Policy and Social Inequality From the studies that have been conducted, it has been identified that the inequality changes that have been experienced in the different states of the world are not monotonic; other factors play a critical role […]
• Media Patterns and Social Inequality An example of bias in the media can be illustrated by observing the ratio of men to women in society, and placing that ratio to the available job opportunities in the media.
• Social Capital and Health Inequality This paper will take in hand the issues of understanding and demonstrate how social relationships, specifically social capital, can become the defining factor for influencing individual health, as well as the health outcomes of an […]
• The Problem of Social and Economic Inequality in Modern Society The author claims that it is the role of the government to ensure the efficiency of the current employment legislation. In summary, the analyzed articles are devoted to the problem of social and economic inequality.
• Social and Economic Inequality While structural changes have reduced economic and social inequalities in some areas, the concept has led to a worsening of conditions in some countries.
• Social Welfare Policy That Facilitates Reduction of Poverty and Inequality in the US In spite of the scale of the increase in the inequality, the political class in the US rarely discusses this subject in the public.
• The Income Gap Between Low-Income Families and Others: Signs of Individual Freedom or Proof of Social Inequality
• Argentina: The Many Problems of Social Inequality
• Social Inequality and Political Change
• Women Criminals and Social Inequality
• Child Protection and Social Inequality
• Economic and Social Inequality Today
• Courage, Social Inequality, and Prejudice
• Educational Attainment and Social Inequality in Russia: Dynamics and Correlations With Education Policies
• Closed Circuit Television Promotes Social Inequality and Control
• Social Inequality in Terms of Class Andor Ethnicity
• Induced Innovation and Social Inequality: Evidence From Infant Medical Care
• Social Inequality and the Criminal Offenses Associated With It
• Two Major Theories of the Persistence of Social Inequality
• Corporate Monopoly and Social Inequality
• Theories of Social Inequality: Can Inequality Be Eliminated
• Critical Thinkings About Social Inequality in School and Employment
• Family Patterns and Social Inequality Among Children in the United States
• Are Victims Still Being Blamed for Social Inequality
• The Macro-Sociological Theories of Karl Marx: Social Inequality, the Role of Culture, Religion, Sexuality, the Environment, Work and Alienation, and Social Deviance
• Climate Change and Social Inequality
• Global Social Inequality Reveals the Cracks in Our System
• Cyberspace and Social Inequality
• Political Analysis: Consensus Democracy and Reduce Social Inequality
• Growth Dynamics and Social Inequality in European Regions
• Caste System and Social Inequality
• Functionalist Explanations of Social Inequality
• Economic and Social Inequality in the United States and the Use of Urban Sociology in the Effectively Tackling of These Challenges
• Biased Aspirations and Social Inequality at School: Evidence From French Teenagers
• Globalization: Economic and Social Inequality Issues
• Equality and Social Inequality of Class and Class Equality
• Social Inequality and Minorities in the United States
• Classical and Modern Explanations of Social Inequality
• Injustice: Why Social Inequality Persists
• Rethinking the Role of Religion in the Emergence of Social Inequality
• Dominance, Prejudiced Stereotypes, and Social Inequality
• Childcare, Early Education and Social Inequality: An International Perspective
• Education and Social Inequality
• Gifts, Bequests, and Social Inequality in West Germany
• Neuromodulation and Enhance Social Inequality: Some Possible Indirect Interventions of the State
• Explicit and Implicit Issues in the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience of Social Inequality
• What Is Social Inequality?
• What Are Examples of Social Inequality?
• Why Is Social Inequality a Problem?
• What Causes Social Inequality?
• How Do You Identify Social Inequality?
• What Is Social Inequality Essay?
• How Can We Stop Social Inequality?
• What Is the Conclusion of Social Inequality?
• How Did Social Inequality Start?
• Is It Important to Know Social Inequality?
• How Can Students Reduce Social Inequality?
• Why Should We Stop Social Inequality?
• How Does Social Inequality Affect Students?
• Is Social Inequality Good or Bad?
• What Are Types of Social Inequality?
• What Causes Social Inequality in Education?
• Which Country Has the Most Social Inequality?
• How Does Social Inequality Affect Human Rights?
• Why Is Social Inequality a Moral Problem?
• Is Social Inequality Inevitable?
• How Is Social Inequality Measured?
• How Do Social Differences Lead to Social Inequality?
• How Does Social Inequality Affect Quality of Life?
• How Is Social Inequality Connected to Power?
• What Will Happen if Social Inequality Continues?
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D istinctive

• October 17, 2021
• Distinctive College Consulting
• 1,922 views

By Nora Lessersohn, A.M.

In the past few years, social, political, environmental, financial, and medical crises have made it abundantly clear that one’s race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or disability status directly affect/s their health, finances, work, education, and ability to live life itself. In response, colleges have started to ask their applicants to reflect on how they themselves have contributed to creating equitable and just outcomes for all. The following three prompts are exemplary:

Villanova : St. Augustine states that well-being is “not concerned with myself alone, but with my neighbor’s good as well.” How have you advocated for equity and justice in your communities?

Princeton : Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals.

University of Richmond : Please share one idea for actions or policies that you think would begin to address an issue of racial or social injustice.

Such prompts may feel difficult for students who don’t consider themselves “political” (or those who simply understand how massive these problems are). But working towards equity and justice doesn’t begin and end with a protest or a social media post. In fact, you’ve probably worked towards these goals without even realizing it! Here are three questions to ask yourself to help you write a social justice essay.

1) How and when have I tried to be inclusive of others? Inclusion is an important element of working towards equitable social outcomes, whether it happens at a policy level, or at school with your peers. Have you made an effort to incorporate people from different backgrounds into an activity or conversation, whether in a sport, a club, or a social setting? This act could form the basis of a solid social justice essay in which you talk about the value of inclusion to your community.

2) How and when have I tried to help others? While not all assistance relates to issues of equity and justice, thinking about the times you have worked to help people will help you reflect on how your actions may have contributed to these goals. Have you worked as a tutor or mentor? Have you volunteered at a hospital? Have you organized a food drive? While you may not have thought about the macro effects of your service at the time, thinking now through the lens of equity and justice, how do you understand the work that you did? Is there something you could have done better (and will do in the future)?

3) How and when have I tried to ask difficult questions? For many, the first step in working for equity and justice is developing the awareness that there is systemic and racial inequality everywhere we look. When have you been most aware of these issues in society, and what questions did this awareness prompt you to ask? Who did you ask, or did you keep those questions to yourself (and why)? Reflecting on your own process of understanding could be a powerful way to engage with the topic of social justice, and a jumping off point for discussing how you would work towards a more equitable social world in college and beyond.

Hopefully, asking yourself these questions will help you realize that, even if you’ve never protested, posted, or even just “talked politics,” you may still have made an important effort to make the world a better place to live. 

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50 Social Justice Topics | Best Essay Writing Ideas

The phrase social justice may sound simple, but it covers a pretty diverse scope of issues affecting our society. These include religion, income equality, race, sexual orientation, and gender, among many others. Since these are issues we encounter every day, you will, on countless times in your student life, get assigned a social justice project. Note, this is regardless of what course you may be taking. Therefore, it’s wise to equip yourself with a selection of great social justice topics, and also know how to go about the writing process beforehand. Fortunately, you happen to be at the right place. Check out the roundup of great social justice research topics, as well as a few tips to guide you through the process below.

A List of Social Justice Topics

The key to writing an exemplary social justice research paper is equipping with a list of good social justice topics you are both interested in and that have plenty of information sources. On that note, check out the list below

General Social Justice Topic Ideas

• What impact does diversity have on social justice?
• Define social justice
• How a corporate policy can affect the staff’s mental health
• What is your take on fundraisers? Are they real charities or money laundering projects?
• Explain the background and reasons that often lead to employee riots
• What should immigrating foreigners expect? A better life or condemnation?
• Explain the connection between globalization and the increase in substance abuse rates
• Describe the political side of most modern wars.
• Obesity as an obstacle to one’s social life
• Increasing unemployment as the direct consequence of economic recessions
• The impact of global warming on small island nations such as the Maldives
• History and the progression of the idea in Western political thought
• Globalization on international hospitality and tourism and how it impacts the local population
• Non-governmental organizations, are they positive activists of change?
• LGBTQ + pride movement
• Describe the negative impact of societal beauty standards
• What is the extent of abuse and neglect in orphanages, care homes, and orphanages

Good Social Justice Debate Topics

• Can peace exist without war?
• Define the relationship between social media and the increased cases of suicide
• Reverse discrimination- a myth or reality?
• A world of peace- is it real, or is it just a far-fetched fantasy?
• Is the issuing of green cards a privilege or a necessity?
• Should we perceive it as sex work or paid rape?
• The church and the state- is it possible for them to remain separate?
• Will gun control laws help reduce mass shootings?
• Is consent a valid concept in the porn industry?
• Building a wall between the US and Mexico? Logical or racist?
• The immunization debate; should vaccination be mandatory?

Social Justice Speech Topics

• Who pays the price of war and terrorism?
• Talk about white privilege in the media
• Can social media help society overcome the problem of illiteracy?
• Talk about child abuse prevention strategies in the US
• The societal impact on teenage smoking
• Dating violence among university and college students
• The effect of TV on infant child development
• The issue of discrimination; do existing policies adequately protect citizens?
• Problems brought about by illiteracy
• Economic issues in developing countries and their link to the US economy
• Address discrimination in sports

Social Justice Topics in Education

• Why is peace education rare than shooting classes
• Describe the mistreatment or abuse of autistic kids in elementary schools
• Should our educational system be flexible enough to accommodate the evolving world, or is it a much wiser idea to retain the old standards?
• Discrimination against the female gender or non-citizens in our education system
• The impact of illiteracy on our community today
• The impact of bullying and anxiety development in teenagers
• Social media as the new form of bullying
• How accessible is our educational system, the poor, migrant works, refugees, and other minority groups?
• Mandatory uniform as a means to wipe out student identity
• Can social media help our society overcome the problem of illiteracy?
• Free education for everyone, will it ever become a reality

Thoughts On Social Justice Essay Writing

Writing an essay on social justice is not only a regular part of your student life but is meant to train you into a functioning adult in society. Writing on different social justice research topics will also help you keep up with the trends and changes taking place in our society. Therefore, to write the perfect social justice essay ensure you

Choose Social Justice Topics Wisely

When it comes to writing on social justice, it’s wise to choose a topic relevant to the community at that time. For instance, all social justice topics on our list directly impact society today. Therefore, choosing to write on any of them will cause controversy because not everyone has the same opinion as you. Hence, your audience, in this case, your professor, will be curious to see how you handle a particular social justice issue.

But other than being relevant, good social justice topics usually have plenty of research material. So apart from choosing a topic related to 2023, make sure whatever you opt to write about won’t leave you all drained.

Invest in Research

Social justice topics such as bullying in school usually have plenty of press. In that breath, you want to make your essay on social justice as unique and as memorable as possible. Therefore, instead of writing what everyone knows, go the extra mile in doing your research. For instance, if your social justice topic of choice is bullying, choose to address the psychological part of it, instead of the regular effects most students do.

Support Your Stance with Examples

As noted earlier, social justice mainly focuses on issues that affect our everyday lives. It is all about things that take place in our community regularly. Therefore, read the relevant college essay examples to help your audience relate to the social justice topic you’ve chosen to write about on a personal level. For instance, if you are talking about climate change, use examples that will hit close to home, such as increased energy costs. This way, your audience understands just how critical climate change is and why they should take action!

Keep your social justice essay very simple. Once you are done, revise and edit it to confirm that it is flawless. To make sure you submit a plagiarism-free paper and excellent grades, we advise you to hire our essay writers .

It’s your lucky day! Use promo “ custom20 ” – we’ve prepared a 20% discount off your social justice writing assignment from the best academic writers!

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• Introduction

Theories of justice

Social justice movements.

social justice

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• United Nations - World Day of Social Justice
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social justice , in contemporary politics, social science , and political philosophy , the fair treatment and equitable status of all individuals and social groups within a state or society. The term also is used to refer to social, political, and economic institutions, laws, or policies that collectively afford such fairness and equity and is commonly applied to movements that seek fairness, equity, inclusion, self-determination , or other goals for currently or historically oppressed, exploited, or marginalized populations.

In theoretical terms, social justice is often understood to be equivalent to justice itself, however that concept is defined. Many somewhat narrower interpretations conceive of social justice as being equivalent to or partly constitutive of distributive justice—that is, the fair and equitable distribution of social, political, and economic benefits and burdens. According to some interpretations, social justice also encompasses , among other conditions, the equal opportunity to contribute to and to benefit from the common good , including by holding public office (such readings are sometimes referred to as “contributive justice”). Other interpretations promote the stronger goal of equal participation by all individuals and groups in all major social, political, and economic institutions.

Another set of definitions of social justice emphasizes the institutional conditions that encourage individual self-development and self-determination—the former being understood as the opposite of oppression and the latter as the opposite of domination. A related concept of justice, suggested by the American philosopher Martha Nussbaum , is that a just society fosters the capabilities of individuals to engage in activities that are essential to a truly “human” life—including, among others, the capabilities to live a life of normal length, to use one’s mind in ways “protected by guarantees of freedom of expression,” and to meaningfully participate in political decision-making. Still other accounts define social justice, or justice itself, in terms of broad categories of human rights , including the entire range of civil and political rights (such as the rights to personal liberty and to participation in government), economic and social rights (such as the rights to employment and to education), and solidarity or group rights (such as the rights to political independence and to economic development ).

Social justice is both a theoretical concept and a practical ideal—an object of social-scientific and philosophical understanding and debate as well as a real-world goal of social and political reform movements. In general, practical ideals of social justice represent an attempt to realize a certain conception of social justice in a particular state or society. Accordingly, such ideals tend to vary with the historical and cultural circumstances in which they are pursued; they may also depend upon current social-scientific understandings of the institutions to be reformed, abolished, or created.

However the notion of social justice is understood, it is naturally grounded in the concept of justice itself. Indeed, the notion of social justice originated as an application of a historical theory of justice to current social problems. Later understandings of social justice have also drawn upon historical theories. Accordingly, this article will discuss the major historical theories of justice and consider their influence upon modern and contemporary social-justice movements.

The first philosophical studies of justice and political authority in the West were undertaken in ancient Greece and Rome by thinkers whose works combined theoretical speculation with generally insightful empirical observations. Arguably the most influential of these works was Plato ’s Republic , a lengthy examination, in dialogue form, of justice as both an individual virtue and a defining characteristic of the ideal political community . For Plato, justice in the individual soul and in the city-state consists of the harmonious operation of the major elements out of which each is constituted: reason, spirit, and appetite in the soul; and rulers, guardians (or soldiers), and producers (e.g., farmers and craftsmen) in the city-state. Harmonious operation in both cases is realized when each element pursues or performs the object or function appropriate to it and does not intrude upon the proper pursuits or functions of other elements. Although Plato’s vision of the just society is strikingly undemocratic and class-based, his emphasis on service to the common good through the integrated functioning of social classes became a salient feature of many later theories. (Notably, Plato held that women were just as capable as men and therefore just as deserving of opportunities to contribute to the common good. Women as well as men, he insisted, would be among the rulers of a just republic.)

Like Plato, Aristotle conceived of justice as both an individual virtue and a characteristic of an ideal (or well functioning) city-state. Aristotle’s theory of political justice has been variously interpreted but is generally understood to encompass the rule of law , the pursuit of the common good (the purpose of the state being to realize the communal basis of the good life for all citizens), the equitable distribution of benefits and burdens among equally deserving or meritorious individuals (distributive justice), and fairness in dealings between individuals (corrective, commutative, or reciprocal justice). Political desert and merit, however, are achieved only by those virtuous citizens who contribute significantly to the common good. Thus, the just society, though based on the competent promotion of the common good, involves a hierarchical social order and an equitable distribution of political rights and responsibilities among ranking members of that hierarchy ( see also Aristotle: Political theory ). Aristotle’s understanding of political justice is to this extent aristocratic .

Aristotle’s view of justice greatly influenced the medieval Christian philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas , who followed Aristotle in holding that the purpose of political authority is to promote the good of the community and that in a just society benefits would be distributed by social rank, with “more prominent” community members receiving correspondingly greater benefits. Aquinas’s philosophy and theology became official doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century, and his vision of justice eventually inspired the measured social reforms advocated by the church in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ( see below ).

In the 17th and 18th centuries the English philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau developed influential conceptions of justice based on the notion of a social contract . In primeval times, according to social-contract theory, individuals were born into an anarchic “state of nature,” which they eventually sought to escape because of the danger and misery it entailed or because they wished to experience the advantages of social order. To do so, they formed a society by means of a compact or agreement that defined a set of rights and duties of individuals and a set of powers to be exercised by a central government. Social-contract theories thus attempt to legitimate and delimit political authority on the grounds of individual self-interest and rational consent. Conceptions of justice based on social-contract theory were significantly different from earlier understandings, because they viewed justice as a human creation or social construct rather than as an ideal rooted in objective features of human nature and society. Locke’s particular version of the social contract, which recognized a set of natural individual rights that the social contract obliged the ruling authority to protect, became the philosophical basis of political liberalism .

In the 19th century the English utilitarian philosophers John Stuart Mill and Henry Sidgwick addressed issues of social justice made prominent by the extreme economic inequalities created by the growth of industrial capitalism in Europe and the United States during the Industrial Revolution . Following the utilitarian jurist Jeremy Bentham , who propounded a principle whereby actions are considered morally right or wrong in proportion to the balance of happiness or unhappiness they produce, Mill advanced a theory designed to explain and justify on utilitarian grounds what he understood to be the chief principles of justice, as reflected in the common usage of just , unjust , and related terms. The principles include, among others, the ideas that justice requires respect for the legal and moral rights of individuals and for the right of individuals to possess or receive that which they deserve. Such principles are valid, according to Mill, because a society that consistently observes them (as laws or moral conventions) would in the long run experience a greater level of happiness for a greater number of people than would a society that did not. Broadly speaking, Mill’s vision of a just society encompasses the liberal ideals of individual rights (e.g., to life, liberty, and property), democracy , and free enterprise.

Although utilitarianism was a major current of social thought in the 19th and 20th centuries and thus a major intellectual vehicle of social-justice reform, its explanation of the nature of justice eventually proved vulnerable to serious objections, some of which recall the basic difficulties raised against utilitarian accounts of the rightness or wrongness of individual actions. Some critics of utilitarianism , for example, remained unconvinced that Mill’s conception of justice would rule out any conceivable social order in which the enslavement or exploitation of a minority of the population is accepted on the grounds that it facilitates the happiness of the majority.

Interest in social-contract theories was revived in the second half of the 20th century by the American political philosopher John Rawls . In his A Theory of Justice (1971) Rawls rejects utilitarian accounts of justice (on the basis of the criticism mentioned above) and defends a conception of “justice as fairness.” Rawls argues that justice consists of the basic principles of government that free and rational individuals would agree to in a hypothetical situation of perfect equality . In order to ensure that the principles chosen would be fair, Rawls imagines a group of individuals who have been made ignorant of the social, economic, and historical circumstances from which they come, as well as their basic values and goals, including their conception of what constitutes a “good life.” Situated behind this “veil of ignorance,” any group of individuals would be led by reason and self-interest to agree that (1) each person should have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others and (2) social and economic inequalities should be arranged so that they are to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged and are attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity.

Rawls’s first principle ensures most of the basic rights and liberties traditionally associated with modern liberalism and democracy , and his second principle prevents detrimental inequalities of wealth and income and provides for meaningful equality of opportunity to compete for public offices. Rawls’s work is widely interpreted as providing an intellectual model for the modern capitalist welfare state or a market-oriented social democracy .

Despite its wide appeal, Rawls’s liberal egalitarianism was soon challenged by advocates of conservative libertarianism , who charged that the society Rawls envisioned is unjust because it would allow (indeed, require) the state to redistribute social and economic goods without the consent of their owners, in violation of the owners’ private property rights . Some libertarians, following the American philosopher Robert Nozick , argued that a validly derived social contract would justify only a “minimal state,” with powers limited to those necessary to protect citizens against violence, theft, and fraud. Other critics argued that Rawls’s theory does not take sufficient account of a community’s shared understanding of how it is appropriate to live ( see communitarianism ).

As noted earlier, movements for social justice have been guided and inspired by intellectual understandings of the nature of justice. An early and important example of such influence is the work of the 19th-century Jesuit scholar Luigi Taparelli, who coined the term social justice in the 1840s. Inspired by Aquinas, Taparelli propounded a conservative vision of justice that legitimates aristocratic rule by grounding it in supposedly natural inequalities between individuals. Later in the 19th century, justice became a central theme of Roman Catholic social teaching, which emerged in response to the dire societal consequences of the Industrial Revolution. The church generally accepted economic inequality and social stratification as the products of natural inequalities of ability between individuals but emphasized the ideally harmonious interworking of socioeconomic classes and the moral obligation of civil society and the state to protect the weak and vulnerable and to promote the common good. The church’s approach to social justice thus represented a course midway between laissez-faire capitalism, which would reject any state intervention in the economy on behalf of impoverished and exploited industrial workers, and socialism , which would impose state ownership or control of the economy to meet the basic needs of workers and to ensure their material equality. Taparelli’s contention that the state is obliged to intervene on behalf of distressed individuals only in situations where smaller social units, including the family, are unable to address the relevant social problems was embraced by Pope Leo XIII (a former student of Taparelli) in his 1891 encyclical Rerum novarum (Latin: “Of New Things”; English title On Capital and Labor ) and reaffirmed in Pope Pius XI ’s 1931 encyclical Quadragesimo anno (Latin: “In the Fortieth Year”; English title Reconstruction of the Social Order ).

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, legal reformers in England and the United States, some of whom were inspired by utilitarianism, began to apply the notion of social justice to issues of legal, economic, and political inequality, including women’s rights , the rights of workers, and the exploitation of immigrants and children. In the mid-20th century, racial discrimination and the civil rights of minorities in the United States, particularly African Americans , came to be recognized as a major problem of social justice, as reflected in the nationwide civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s. From the 1960s and ’70s, women’s rights and the rights of sexual minorities were also major focuses of activists who conceived of their goals in terms of social justice. Later social-justice movements in the United States and Europe were concerned with uncovering and dismantling systemic forms of racial discrimination ( see critical race theory ) and, more broadly, with identifying the various political, economic, and social mechanisms by which members of racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities were—in the estimation of social-justice advocates—oppressed, excluded, and exploited, particularly by white majorities.

These developments reflect the gradual broadening of social justice as a practical ideal, now encompassing a number of themes and issues beyond basic rights and economic equality. In general terms, the ideal that activists aimed for was a society that values fairness and equity for all individuals and social groups in all areas of life; that recognizes and respects differing ethnic, cultural, gender, and other identities among citizens; and, most importantly, that affords a dignified and fulfilling existence for all individuals.

Essay on Social Injustice

Students are often asked to write an essay on Social Injustice in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Social Injustice

What is social injustice.

Social injustice happens when people are treated unfairly because of reasons like their race, gender, or wealth. It’s like a game where the rules are not the same for everyone, making it harder for some to succeed.

Effects of Social Injustice

This unfairness can lead to people not having the same chances in life. For example, some might not get a good education or job opportunities just because of where they come from. It’s like being in a race where some start way behind the starting line.

Combating Social Injustice

To fight social injustice, it’s important to understand and speak up about these unfair situations. Everyone deserves a fair chance, and by working together, we can make the world more equal for all.

250 Words Essay on Social Injustice

Social injustice happens when people are treated unfairly because of their race, gender, age, or how much money they have. Imagine if your friend got a bigger piece of cake just because they have blue shoes and you don’t. It wouldn’t feel fair, right? That’s how social injustice works but on a much bigger scale.

Examples in Everyday Life

Why it’s a problem.

Social injustice hurts everyone. It makes people who are treated unfairly feel sad and alone. It also stops them from living their best life. For example, if someone is not given a chance to go to a good school or get a good job, it’s a waste of their talents.

What Can We Do?

Everyone can help fight social injustice. It starts with treating everyone the same, no matter what they look like or where they come from. If you see someone being treated unfairly, stand up for them. Remember, making a big change starts with small steps.

By understanding social injustice and acting to stop it, we can all help make the world a fairer place for everyone.

500 Words Essay on Social Injustice

Social injustice is unfairness that exists in a society. It can be caused by many things, including prejudice, discrimination, and poverty. Social injustice can take many forms, including unequal opportunities, discrimination, and lack of access to resources.

Forms of Social Injustice

There are many forms of social injustice. These include:

Causes of Social Injustice

There are many causes of social injustice, including:

Prejudice: This is a negative opinion about a person or group of people that is not based on facts. It can lead to discrimination and other forms of social injustice. Stereotypes: These are oversimplified beliefs about a person or group of people. They can be harmful because they can lead to prejudice and discrimination. Institutionalized Racism: This is a system of laws, policies, and practices that gives advantages to one group of people over another. It can lead to discrimination and other forms of social injustice.

Social injustice can have a devastating impact on individuals and communities. It can lead to:

What Can Be Done About Social Injustice?

There are many things that can be done to address social injustice, including:

Education: This can help people to understand the causes and effects of social injustice and to challenge their own prejudices and stereotypes. Advocacy: This involves speaking out against social injustice and demanding change. It can be done through protests, petitions, and letters to elected officials. Policy Change: This involves changing laws and policies that are unfair or discriminatory. It can be done through legislation or through lawsuits. Community Organizing: It is a powerful way to address social injustice. By working together, people can build power and make change.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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15 Social Justice Issues We Must Address

Social justice is built on the pillars of human rights, equity, participation, and access. When a society is just, everyone is respected, supported, and protected. Achieving social justice isn’t easy as there are many issues that need to be addressed. Here are 15 examples:

#1. The gender pay gap

Around the world, the gender pay gap is one of the slowest-moving social justice issues. There’s been progress, but according to the World Bank’s Women, Business, and the Law 2022 report , around 2.4 billion women of working age aren’t getting equal economic opportunities. 95 countries don’t ensure equal pay for equal work. When it comes to lifetime earnings, how big does that gap end up being? Globally, The World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnership says women make about $172 trillion less than men . Some areas are doing better than others. According to the WE Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report , only five countries got scores higher than 0.800 on wage equality for similar work: Albania, Burundi, Algeria, Iceland, and Singapore. Unfortunately, wage equality for similar work has gone down since 2021 in seven countries, including China and Cambodia.

#2. Income inequality

The gender pay gap contributes to income inequality, but it’s not as if all men are doing well financially. Income inequality concerns people within states and the wealth between states. When the pandemic struck, global income inequality got worse and even undid some of the progress of the past 20 years. While the global economy rebounded in 2021, the World Bank estimated that global growth would decelerate from 5.5.% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2023. Inflation is also a major issue. However, while people fall into poverty, the world’s ten richest men more than doubled their fortunes during the first two years of the pandemic, earning an average of $1.3 billion a day. It’s hard to think of something more unequal than that.

#3. Climate change

Many factors drive climate change, such as agriculture, offshore drilling, fracking, and more. Despite decades of warnings and serious events like drought and hurricanes, fossil fuel emissions are not improving. The past seven years were the warmest on record. Scientists agree that if significant change isn’t made, temperatures will continue to rise. Extreme weather events will become more frequent and billions will be at risk. Fighting climate change is important because it affects other issues, such as food security, poverty, gender equality, and more.

#4. Food insecurity

With climate change, supply chain issues, and inflation, food insecurity is an ever-present issue. Things got especially dire in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine and blockaded Ukrainian ports, cutting off grain exports to the rest of the world. While events like war trigger food insecurity, increased hunger has been on the rise for years. The 2022 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report found that hunger affected around 828 million people in 2021 , which reflects a 46 million people increase.

#5. The refugee crisis

According to the UN Refugee Agency , over 2 million refugees will need to be resettled in 2023. That’s a 36% increase from 2022. There are a few reasons why, including the pandemic, climate change, conflict, and more. Women and children are especially vulnerable to trafficking and violence. According to a report from Save the Children, “likely all children” migrating to Europe through the Balkans faced violence. Police and smugglers were the most common perpetrators. Both the resettlement and safety of refugees as they migrate are must-address social justice issues.

#6. Universal healthcare

“Good health and well-being” is the third Sustainable Development Goal . It’s closely linked to other goals such as clean water, sanitation, and zero hunger. To achieve this goal, universal healthcare is essential. The need for it was made blatant during the COVID-19 pandemic, but healthcare systems around the world were already failing many people. According to the WHO , over 930 million people spend at least 10% of their household income on healthcare. Because of out-of-pocket spending, 100 million people fall into poverty each year. Universal healthcare, which ensures everyone has access to all the healthcare they need without financial hardship, is one of the most urgent social justice issues.

#7. Poverty

The world has been trying to deal with poverty for many years, but according to the World Bank , it’s unlikely to end extreme poverty by 2030. COVID-19 was a big reason why. In 2020, 70 million people fell into extreme poverty. This number represents the largest one-year increase since 1990 when the world started monitoring global poverty. Extreme poverty, which is defined as earning less than $2.15 a day, concentrates in areas where it’s hard to address, such as rural areas, Sub-Saharan Africa, and areas with conflict. Ending poverty is complex and involves addressing other social justice issues, such as low-quality education, inferior healthcare, gender inequality, and so on.

#8. Gender-based violence

Gender-based violence is a global issue. According to the WHO, about 30% of women have endured physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. Most violence is perpetrated by an intimate partner. This type of violence affects a person’s sexual, mental, emotional, and physical health. The violence can also be fatal. Around the world, around 38% of murdered women were killed by their intimate partners. Reports, like the one released by the United States Institute of Peace , found that COVID-19 made gender-based violence worse. How can gender-based violence be addressed? It requires a multi-faceted approach. Improved gender equality, early education, better legal protections for women, and more are essential pieces of the puzzle.

#9. State violence

Violence perpetrated by the state is a growing concern. We’ve seen several examples in just a few years. In 2020, U.S. protests against police brutality were met by more excessive force in places like New York City, where police officers trapped protesters. Unable to leave, the protesters were trapped until the start of the city-wide curfew, after which the police began attacking them without warning. A report by Human Rights Watch stated that “the police response to the peaceful Mott Haven protest was intentional, planned, and unjustified.” In 2022, Iran (which already has a long history of state violence) responded to peaceful protests with brutality. While exact numbers are hard to come by, hundreds of protesters could have been killed, including many children.

#10. Threats to the trans community

The LGBTQ+ community as a whole is vulnerable to violence and discrimination, but the trans community has been facing an increasing number of threats. The United States provides many disheartening examples. In Florida , the state board of medicine agreed to start the process of barring minors from receiving puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or surgeries to treat gender dysphoria. This goes against organizations like the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which support gender-affirming care for young people. Meanwhile, in Keller, Texas , a school board voted to ban all books that even mention gender fluidity. Actions like this represent a concentrated effort to roll back rights for LGBTQ+ people.

#11. Eroding democracy

Freedom House, an organization that conducts research and advocacy on democracy and political freedom, has found that global freedom is declining. In their 2022 report, they found that while only 25 countries improved their democracy, 60 countries got worse. 2023 could be worse for places like Southeast Asia where in Myanmar, the junta continues to rule. Freedom is also threatened in Afghanistan where the Taliban have once again taken over. In November, the Taliban ordered judges to impose its interpretation of Sharia Law, which could open the door to even worse human rights violations.

#12. Political extremism

Eroding democracy is closely linked to political extremism, which is becoming an increasingly urgent problem. On January 6th, 2021, a riot of Trump supporters attacked the United States Capitol in an attempt to stop the electoral vote count. This represents a trend of overtly violent political extremism, which has included a mass shooting in Buffalo and an attack on the husband of Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House. Political extremism isn’t limited to the United States. A ProPublica article published not long after the insurrection outlined a growing international network of right-wing extremists. It’s been happening for years. While the world focused on Islamic extremism following 9/11, right-wing extremism grew fairly unhindered .

#13. Cybersecurity threats

According to the WEF’s Global Risks Report 2022 , cybersecurity vulnerabilities are a major concern. In wake of the pandemic, many economies underwent rapid digitalization. While useful, that has increased the risk of cyberattacks. 2022 saw some significant attacks, including in Costa Rica, where a cyber gang known as Conti disrupted financial operations. The Ministry of Finance was targeted, leading the country to declare a national emergency . What does this have to do with social justice? Cybersecurity is closely related to issues of privacy and safety, which are social justice issues. Who gets access to the best cybersecurity measures is also a social justice issue. As this blog post by Merritt Baer points out, cybersecurity is a wealth discrimination issue.

#14. Reproductive rights

Reproductive rights are linked to other social justice issues like gender equality, healthcare, poverty, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. While it’s not the only reproductive right, the right to abortion remains a significant concern. Worldwide, the laws vary , though many countries only allow abortion to save the mother’s life. In places like the Philippines, Iraq, Andorra, Congo, and Egypt, abortion was prohibited completely at the time of writing (2022). Abortion rights can also be taken away. In June, the US Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, saying that abortion was not a constitutional right. In an even more concerning move, some states are already targeting birth control .

#15. Racism

Racism takes many forms, but it remains a persistent social justice issue. Throughout 2020, a wave of anti-Asian hate crimes surged around the world. An article in Time collected various statistics from places like New Zealand, which found that 54% of Chinese survey participants had experienced discrimination. In the UK, hate crimes against Chinese, East, and South East Asians rose by as much as 300% compared to data from 2018 and 2019. Racism against Black people is still prevalent, too. The National Urban League released its annual report in 2022 , reporting that while Black Americans made economic and health gains, white people were still ahead in education, social justice, and civic engagement. These are just two examples of racism and why it needs to be addressed.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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Social Injustice: Essays in Political Philosophy

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Hugh Lazenby, Social Injustice: Essays in Political Philosophy, The Philosophical Quarterly , Volume 65, Issue 261, October 2015, Pages 865–867, https://doi.org/10.1093/pq/pqv003

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Social Injustice is a collection of thirteen essays addressing a variety of topics including methodology in applied political theory, exploitation, torture, contractarianism and democracy. Only two of the essays are previously unpublished. These sandwich the other essays. The first is a defence of the idea that social injustice is an important research topic. The last is a taxonomy of three varieties of socialism (liberal, democratic and market) and an analysis of the core values these varieties share (equality and community). As the first essay is on the theme of the book, and is supposed to connect the other essays, I will dedicate the majority of this review to it.

Much political philosophy of the past fifty years has been concerned with identifying what a socially just state should look like. Social injustice has received relatively little attention. One explanation for this is the prevalence of the view that there is nothing interesting to say about injustice other than that it occurs when justice is absent. Bufacchi's central claim is that this view, and the corresponding focus on identifying a socially just state, is mistaken. For him, injustice may arise from a number of distinct sources. In order to begin to redress injustice, we must have an account of these sources. The study of injustice should therefore be given a kind of priority over the study of justice. Or, as he puts it rather more strongly, ‘before we can say anything meaningful about social justice, it is imperative to have a clear idea of what social injustice is, and why social injustice is the paramount social problem to be resolved’ (p. 3).

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Social Injustice - Free Essay Examples and Topic Ideas

‘Injustice is the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.’ Social injustice means that everyone has different amounts of wealth, so there are rich and poor and some do not have equal opportunities and privileges as others. So that the society we live in is unequal and unjust.

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The society we will live in is like this. People in India and countries around the world have huge wealth inequalities and there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor it is unjust action done in the society where the equals are treated unequally and the unequal is treated equally ( Farooq n.p.). It described as a situation where a dominant population is made known of the inequity that leads to others due to their relative position in the structure of power (Maus n.p.). According to Quora, these issues would be things like unfair labor practices, ethnic discrimination due to gender, orientation, ethnicity, age. It includes the practical aspect of society where inequality can arise as a result of unjust prejudices or policy issues where women socially face injustice in integrity, autonomy, sexual violence, to have equal rights in family law, wants to work on fair wage and to have reproductive rights to own. Social justice issues can be defined into two categories, although they are often co-dependent: Inter-Social Treatment and Unequal Government Regulation.

Gender-based violence is one of the worst forms of social injustice, institutionally and culturally entrenched in societies. The inequalities in the power structures, gender values, gender stereotyping, and various forms of discrimination contribute to violence against women, which clear itself in different forms such as sexual assault, physical and psychological violence from a partner, early marriage, human trafficking, slavery. Women are already experiencing other injustices exposed to gender-based violence many injustices are going around the world. Some are based on rights, laws, and what’s forbidden and what is not

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Key things to know about U.S. election polling in 2024

Confidence in U.S. public opinion polling was shaken by errors in 2016 and 2020. In both years’ general elections, many polls underestimated the strength of Republican candidates, including Donald Trump. These errors laid bare some real limitations of polling.

In the midterms that followed those elections, polling performed better . But many Americans remain skeptical that it can paint an accurate portrait of the public’s political preferences.

Restoring people’s confidence in polling is an important goal, because robust and independent public polling has a critical role to play in a democratic society. It gathers and publishes information about the well-being of the public and about citizens’ views on major issues. And it provides an important counterweight to people in power, or those seeking power, when they make claims about “what the people want.”

The challenges facing polling are undeniable. In addition to the longstanding issues of rising nonresponse and cost, summer 2024 brought extraordinary events that transformed the presidential race . The good news is that people with deep knowledge of polling are working hard to fix the problems exposed in 2016 and 2020, experimenting with more data sources and interview approaches than ever before. Still, polls are more useful to the public if people have realistic expectations about what surveys can do well – and what they cannot.

With that in mind, here are some key points to know about polling heading into this year’s presidential election.

Probability sampling (or “random sampling”). This refers to a polling method in which survey participants are recruited using random sampling from a database or list that includes nearly everyone in the population. The pollster selects the sample. The survey is not open for anyone who wants to sign up.

Online opt-in polling (or “nonprobability sampling”). These polls are recruited using a variety of methods that are sometimes referred to as “convenience sampling.” Respondents come from a variety of online sources such as ads on social media or search engines, websites offering rewards in exchange for survey participation, or self-enrollment. Unlike surveys with probability samples, people can volunteer to participate in opt-in surveys.

Nonresponse and nonresponse bias. Nonresponse is when someone sampled for a survey does not participate. Nonresponse bias occurs when the pattern of nonresponse leads to error in a poll estimate. For example, college graduates are more likely than those without a degree to participate in surveys, leading to the potential that the share of college graduates in the resulting sample will be too high.

Mode of interview. This refers to the format in which respondents are presented with and respond to survey questions. The most common modes are online, live telephone, text message and paper. Some polls use more than one mode.

Weighting. This is a statistical procedure pollsters perform to make their survey align with the broader population on key characteristics like age, race, etc. For example, if a survey has too many college graduates compared with their share in the population, people without a college degree are “weighted up” to match the proper share.

How are election polls being conducted?

Pollsters are making changes in response to the problems in previous elections. As a result, polling is different today than in 2016. Most U.S. polling organizations that conducted and publicly released national surveys in both 2016 and 2022 (61%) used methods in 2022 that differed from what they used in 2016 . And change has continued since 2022.

One change is that the number of active polling organizations has grown significantly, indicating that there are fewer barriers to entry into the polling field. The number of organizations that conduct national election polls more than doubled between 2000 and 2022.

This growth has been driven largely by pollsters using inexpensive opt-in sampling methods. But previous Pew Research Center analyses have demonstrated how surveys that use nonprobability sampling may have errors twice as large , on average, as those that use probability sampling.

The second change is that many of the more prominent polling organizations that use probability sampling – including Pew Research Center – have shifted from conducting polls primarily by telephone to using online methods, or some combination of online, mail and telephone. The result is that polling methodologies are far more diverse now than in the past.

(For more about how public opinion polling works, including a chapter on election polls, read our short online course on public opinion polling basics .)

All good polling relies on statistical adjustment called “weighting,” which makes sure that the survey sample aligns with the broader population on key characteristics. Historically, public opinion researchers have adjusted their data using a core set of demographic variables to correct imbalances between the survey sample and the population.

But there is a growing realization among survey researchers that weighting a poll on just a few variables like age, race and gender is insufficient for getting accurate results. Some groups of people – such as older adults and college graduates – are more likely to take surveys, which can lead to errors that are too sizable for a simple three- or four-variable adjustment to work well. Adjusting on more variables produces more accurate results, according to Center studies in 2016 and 2018 .

A number of pollsters have taken this lesson to heart. For example, recent high-quality polls by Gallup and The New York Times/Siena College adjusted on eight and 12 variables, respectively. Our own polls typically adjust on 12 variables . In a perfect world, it wouldn’t be necessary to have that much intervention by the pollster. But the real world of survey research is not perfect.

Predicting who will vote is critical – and difficult. Preelection polls face one crucial challenge that routine opinion polls do not: determining who of the people surveyed will actually cast a ballot.

Roughly a third of eligible Americans do not vote in presidential elections , despite the enormous attention paid to these contests. Determining who will abstain is difficult because people can’t perfectly predict their future behavior – and because many people feel social pressure to say they’ll vote even if it’s unlikely.

No one knows the profile of voters ahead of Election Day. We can’t know for sure whether young people will turn out in greater numbers than usual, or whether key racial or ethnic groups will do so. This means pollsters are left to make educated guesses about turnout, often using a mix of historical data and current measures of voting enthusiasm. This is very different from routine opinion polls, which mostly do not ask about people’s future intentions.

When major news breaks, a poll’s timing can matter. Public opinion on most issues is remarkably stable, so you don’t necessarily need a recent poll about an issue to get a sense of what people think about it. But dramatic events can and do change public opinion , especially when people are first learning about a new topic. For example, polls this summer saw notable changes in voter attitudes following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. Polls taken immediately after a major event may pick up a shift in public opinion, but those shifts are sometimes short-lived. Polls fielded weeks or months later are what allow us to see whether an event has had a long-term impact on the public’s psyche.

How accurate are polls?

The answer to this question depends on what you want polls to do. Polls are used for all kinds of purposes in addition to showing who’s ahead and who’s behind in a campaign. Fair or not, however, the accuracy of election polling is usually judged by how closely the polls matched the outcome of the election.

By this standard, polling in 2016 and 2020 performed poorly. In both years, state polling was characterized by serious errors. National polling did reasonably well in 2016 but faltered in 2020.

In 2020, a post-election review of polling by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) found that “the 2020 polls featured polling error of an unusual magnitude: It was the highest in 40 years for the national popular vote and the highest in at least 20 years for state-level estimates of the vote in presidential, senatorial, and gubernatorial contests.”

How big were the errors? Polls conducted in the last two weeks before the election suggested that Biden’s margin over Trump was nearly twice as large as it ended up being in the final national vote tally.

Errors of this size make it difficult to be confident about who is leading if the election is closely contested, as many U.S. elections are .

Pollsters are rightly working to improve the accuracy of their polls. But even an error of 4 or 5 percentage points isn’t too concerning if the purpose of the poll is to describe whether the public has favorable or unfavorable opinions about candidates , or to show which issues matter to which voters. And on questions that gauge where people stand on issues, we usually want to know broadly where the public stands. We don’t necessarily need to know the precise share of Americans who say, for example, that climate change is mostly caused by human activity. Even judged by its performance in recent elections, polling can still provide a faithful picture of public sentiment on the important issues of the day.

The 2022 midterms saw generally accurate polling, despite a wave of partisan polls predicting a broad Republican victory. In fact, FiveThirtyEight found that “polls were more accurate in 2022 than in any cycle since at least 1998, with almost no bias toward either party.” Moreover, a handful of contrarian polls that predicted a 2022 “red wave” largely washed out when the votes were tallied. In sum, if we focus on polling in the most recent national election, there’s plenty of reason to be encouraged.

Compared with other elections in the past 20 years, polls have been less accurate when Donald Trump is on the ballot. Preelection surveys suffered from large errors – especially at the state level – in 2016 and 2020, when Trump was standing for election. But they performed reasonably well in the 2018 and 2022 midterms, when he was not.

During the 2016 campaign, observers speculated about the possibility that Trump supporters might be less willing to express their support to a pollster – a phenomenon sometimes described as the “shy Trump effect.” But a committee of polling experts evaluated five different tests of the “shy Trump” theory and turned up little to no evidence for each one . Later, Pew Research Center and, in a separate test, a researcher from Yale also found little to no evidence in support of the claim.

Instead, two other explanations are more likely. One is about the difficulty of estimating who will turn out to vote. Research has found that Trump is popular among people who tend to sit out midterms but turn out for him in presidential election years. Since pollsters often use past turnout to predict who will vote, it can be difficult to anticipate when irregular voters will actually show up.

The other explanation is that Republicans in the Trump era have become a little less likely than Democrats to participate in polls . Pollsters call this “partisan nonresponse bias.” Surprisingly, polls historically have not shown any particular pattern of favoring one side or the other. The errors that favored Democratic candidates in the past eight years may be a result of the growth of political polarization, along with declining trust among conservatives in news organizations and other institutions that conduct polls.

Whatever the cause, the fact that Trump is again the nominee of the Republican Party means that pollsters must be especially careful to make sure all segments of the population are properly represented in surveys.

The real margin of error is often about double the one reported. A typical election poll sample of about 1,000 people has a margin of sampling error that’s about plus or minus 3 percentage points. That number expresses the uncertainty that results from taking a sample of the population rather than interviewing everyone . Random samples are likely to differ a little from the population just by chance, in the same way that the quality of your hand in a card game varies from one deal to the next.

The problem is that sampling error is not the only kind of error that affects a poll. Those other kinds of error, in fact, can be as large or larger than sampling error. Consequently, the reported margin of error can lead people to think that polls are more accurate than they really are.

There are three other, equally important sources of error in polling: noncoverage error , where not all the target population has a chance of being sampled; nonresponse error, where certain groups of people may be less likely to participate; and measurement error, where people may not properly understand the questions or misreport their opinions. Not only does the margin of error fail to account for those other sources of potential error, putting a number only on sampling error implies to the public that other kinds of error do not exist.

Several recent studies show that the average total error in a poll estimate may be closer to twice as large as that implied by a typical margin of sampling error. This hidden error underscores the fact that polls may not be precise enough to call the winner in a close election.

Other important things to remember

Transparency in how a poll was conducted is associated with better accuracy . The polling industry has several platforms and initiatives aimed at promoting transparency in survey methodology. These include AAPOR’s transparency initiative and the Roper Center archive . Polling organizations that participate in these organizations have less error, on average, than those that don’t participate, an analysis by FiveThirtyEight found .

Participation in these transparency efforts does not guarantee that a poll is rigorous, but it is undoubtedly a positive signal. Transparency in polling means disclosing essential information, including the poll’s sponsor, the data collection firm, where and how participants were selected, modes of interview, field dates, sample size, question wording, and weighting procedures.

There is evidence that when the public is told that a candidate is extremely likely to win, some people may be less likely to vote . Following the 2016 election, many people wondered whether the pervasive forecasts that seemed to all but guarantee a Hillary Clinton victory – two modelers put her chances at 99% – led some would-be voters to conclude that the race was effectively over and that their vote would not make a difference. There is scientific research to back up that claim: A team of researchers found experimental evidence that when people have high confidence that one candidate will win, they are less likely to vote. This helps explain why some polling analysts say elections should be covered using traditional polling estimates and margins of error rather than speculative win probabilities (also known as “probabilistic forecasts”).

National polls tell us what the entire public thinks about the presidential candidates, but the outcome of the election is determined state by state in the Electoral College . The 2000 and 2016 presidential elections demonstrated a difficult truth: The candidate with the largest share of support among all voters in the United States sometimes loses the election. In those two elections, the national popular vote winners (Al Gore and Hillary Clinton) lost the election in the Electoral College (to George W. Bush and Donald Trump). In recent years, analysts have shown that Republican candidates do somewhat better in the Electoral College than in the popular vote because every state gets three electoral votes regardless of population – and many less-populated states are rural and more Republican.

For some, this raises the question: What is the use of national polls if they don’t tell us who is likely to win the presidency? In fact, national polls try to gauge the opinions of all Americans, regardless of whether they live in a battleground state like Pennsylvania, a reliably red state like Idaho or a reliably blue state like Rhode Island. In short, national polls tell us what the entire citizenry is thinking. Polls that focus only on the competitive states run the risk of giving too little attention to the needs and views of the vast majority of Americans who live in uncompetitive states – about 80%.

Fortunately, this is not how most pollsters view the world . As the noted political scientist Sidney Verba explained, “Surveys produce just what democracy is supposed to produce – equal representation of all citizens.”

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Courtney Kennedy is Vice President of Methods and Innovation at Pew Research Center .

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — The Hunger Games — The Hunger Games Theme: Social Injustice and Survival

The Hunger Games Theme: Social Injustice and Survival

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Social injustice and inequality, the brutality of entertainment, survival and resilience, rebellion and revolution, the consequences of power and control, conclusion: a thought-provoking reflection of society.

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