City Road Essay Essay

In your own words, define difference and inequality, and provide an example of each on City Road. This essay serves to define difference and inequality and provide an example of each within City Road, situated in Cardiff. It is clear that within city road, many differences are apparent, between the people that live and work there. From some of these differences, inequality can become apparent (The Open University, 2014). Difference and inequality although often associated in fact do not have the same meaning. Difference defined, is the contrasts between groups of people based on gender, class, age, sexuality, and race or ethnicity (Blakeley and Staples, 2014, P.25). In comparison inequality is the unequal distribution of primarily economic resources within a society or between societies themselves (Blakeley and Staples, 2014, P.25). City Road is home to many people of different gender, class, age, sexuality and race or ethnicities and different business types. It is these different business types that attract people for different reasons, for example Janet Symmons’ Xquisite Africa shop has been specifically designed to attract those of African ethnicity who may feel excluded from other shops on city road and want a place where they can purchase items from their native country (The Open University, 2014). In ‘The Life and Times of the Street: Part 1’, the Mackintosh centre which is now a sports club has an upper class history, the building makes it look expensive and exclusive, even though it tries to be inclusive to all in the community. This perception of it being expensive and a member’s only type establishment is why people feel they don’t belong at the Mackintosh centre. Reference List The Open University (2014) ‘Inequalities on the street’ [Video], DD102 Introducing the Social Sciences. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/veiw.php?id=443760Â §ion=3.2(12/10/ 2014). Blakeley, G. and Staples, M. (2014) ‘The life and times of the street’, in Blakeley, G. and Allen, J. (eds) Understanding Social Lives, Part 1, Milton Keynes: The Open University.