The 9 types of social exclusion, and how they affect citizenship.

Summary of the different types of social exclusion and their implications on quality of life.

Throughout history, even today, many sectors of the population have experienced some type of social exclusion.

We are going to analyze this concept, defining it, explaining the different types of social exclusion that can occur and investigating the causes that generate it.

Definition of social exclusion

Social exclusion consists of the difficulty or impossibility of a sector of a certain population in acceding or participating in some or all the activities of the above mentioned society, due to a lack of resources.This is due to a lack of resources, capabilities or directly of rights, due to a certain condition, which can be of a very varied nature depending on the moment of history and society.

Throughout the history of mankind, social exclusion (without being known by that term, since it is of modern origin), has been a constant in all civilizations, to a greater or lesser extent, and the causes that have motivated it have been very varied: class difference, economic reasons, diseases, questions of honor, race, religion, skin color, sex, sexual orientation...sex, sexual orientation...

There are as many causes as one can imagine, because at the end of the day it has been used as a measure of control and subjugation between those who wielded power in society and those who did not, and this type of mechanism has been linked to our history since the beginning of time.

Recent history

Obviously the tendency, at least in Western society, which is the one in which we live, is to reduce this problem until it is eliminated.This is why modern nations are constantly enacting laws to ensure the integration of the entire population, equal rights and opportunities, so that social exclusion will ultimately disappear.

The modern concept appears in our society after World War II, and slowly gains strength until it becomes a legislative priority in Western European countries in the 1980s.

In France, a minimum living income is created (a measure that has also been taken recently in Spain) with the aim of ensuring that no citizen is left behind due to lack of economic resources.

In the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the European Union, a resolution called Combating social exclusion was presented, the first official appearance of this term.the first official use of this term. And, at the end of the 1990s, the United Kingdom government created the Social Exclusion Unit.

Despite the importance that this term has gained in Europe (although not even in all countries), in other societies such as the United States or Asia it has not managed to take root. Nor has it been very well received in African or Latin American countries.

In all these places, the term "poverty" continues to be used to refer to the whole problem. Even within the European Union itself, there are sectors that prefer to continue to use the concept of poverty and the indicators related to it..

In fact, in 2020 the European Platform against Poverty has been created, partly renouncing the term social exclusion, which had been coined and defended here for decades. Even the British program discussed above, was gradually diluted until it disappeared.

Types of social exclusion

The typology surrounding the phenomenon of social exclusion is quite broad.. It would fall into three main types, which in turn would be subdivided. Let's get to know them in depth.

1. Economic exclusion

Obviously one of the main causes that generate a gap in society is money, or rather, the lack of it. This, in turn, can be caused by a number of different factors that would be generating this type of social exclusion.

1.1 Lack of income

One of the most frequent problems today is job insecurity, and if it is already difficult to find a job, many times the available options involve working conditions that are not always easy to find, the available options often involve conditions that do not comply with the law, forcing people to work hours that do not comply with the law.The available options often involve working hours that do not appear in the contract (if there is a contract at all, since in many cases it is not even legally binding and therefore there are no social security contributions and coverage).

Of course, in most of these cases the salaries are unworthy, so that, despite working long hours, the pay is barely enough to cover basic needs, despite putting in a huge number of hours of work, the pay is barely enough to cover the basic necessities of a person's life. of a person's life.

1.2 Unstable employment

Another factor that can trigger social exclusion is job instability. It can be just as difficult to find a job as it is to keep it over time. Because of the harsh circumstances of today's market, the most common thing is to offer temporary contracts that do not require a permanent contract, the most common thing is to offer temporary contracts that are chained together but that hardly end up becoming a permanent contract.

In addition, these contracts are often not even intended to cover a full working day (at least on paper), which would add to the previous factor and would not even generate a sufficient salary.

1.3 Lack of employment

Of course, the difficulty in finding a job can be prolonged over time and the person can go months or even years without a salary, often with dependent families. the person can spend months or even years without receiving a salary, often with families in charge, with financial obligations (rent, mortgage...) and with debts that increase more and more, which sometimes make the recovery and reintegration1.3 The person may have financial obligations (rent, mortgage...) and debts that increase more and more, which sometimes make recovery and reintegration insurmountable.

1.4 Impossibility of having resources

Although the welfare state guarantees a series of coverage for citizens in case of need, such as unemployment benefits, the minimum insertion income or the minimum vital income, in many cases it is not possible to access these benefits.In many cases, it is not possible to access them because they do not meet the conditions, because they have exhausted the maximum periods of entitlement or for other reasons.

This lack of support can deepen the bad situation that the citizen is going through and make it chronic, making economic recovery difficult and potentially leading to social exclusion..

2. Social exclusion

Exclusion can also come from purely social factors, those that make us relate to other people in the environment and the difficulties that can occur for this to happen.

2.1 Lack of support network

Not everyone has the protective factors provided by family and friendship networks when it comes to feeling protected in case of need, either on an ad hoc basis or as a necessity.

A very common example is that of single mothers, who have problems when it comes to reconciling their family and work life, especially if they are far from their place of origin and therefore have no one they know who can take care of the children while they work.

In some societies there is also a lack of support from the social services themselves.This would be another cause that would facilitate social exclusion.

2.2 Self-exclusion

For different circumstances it can be the person himself who decides to renounce to his life in society, avoiding any type of relationship with their peers and living in isolation in all areas of their lives..

Some psychological pathologies such as social phobia or antisocial personality disorder can explain in some cases this type of behavior.

2.3 Behavioral difficulties

Sometimes the person does not renounce to the life in society, but has serious difficulties to behave in a social way. difficulties to behave in a socially accepted way, either because of aThis may be due to a lack of social skills or to disorders that may lead to inappropriate behavior, such as alcoholism and other addictions.

It can also be due to cultural causes, in cases where the individual has been raised under beliefs, moral standards and laws that are difficult to fit or directly incompatible with those of another society, in which he/she now finds him/herself.

3. Political exclusion

Although it is not frequent in our society and in our days, we can find other places in which the exclusion comes by a lack of political rights.

3.1 Lack of rights

Throughout history, the rights of all citizens have been equalized in such a way that their vote at the ballot box is worth exactly the same regardless of their sex, race, sexual orientation, skin color, etc. In the societies of developed countries everyone has the same rights and the same obligations..

But this is not the case everywhere. In many countries today, certain groups, often minorities but sometimes directly half of the population, continue to be discriminated against and therefore excluded on the basis of sex, for example. The lack of political rights would therefore be a very powerful means of social exclusion.

3.2 Lack of representativeness

Finally, we may encounter a problem of political representativeness. It may be the case that we find a group of people who share a common characteristic, and whose needs are not reflected in the political programs of the parties, or at least not reflected in the political programs of the parties, or at least not reflected in the political programs of the parties. of the parties, or at least not in those who govern.

Bibliographical references:

• Hills, J., Le Grand, J., Piachaud, D. (2002). Understanding social exclusion. Oxford University Press.
• Leary, M.R. (1990). Responses to social exclusion: Social anxiety, jealousy, loneliness, depression, and low self-esteem. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. Guilford Press.
• Hernández, M. (2008). Social exclusion and inequality. University of Murcia. Editum.
• Laparra, M., Pérez, B. (2008). Social exclusion in Spain. Madrid. Foessa Foundation.