ascriptive inequality

/əˈskrɪptɪv ˌɪnɪˈkwɒləti/

noun phrase

  1. Inequality caused by characteristics assigned to people at birth or by society, such as race, sex, ethnicity, or family background, rather than by their individual choices or achievements.

    C1

    usually uncountableacademic

    • "Ascriptive inequality can affect a person's access to education and employment."B2
    • "The study examines how ascriptive inequality is reproduced across generations through social institutions."C1

Collocations

reduce ascriptive inequalityascriptive inequality between groupsascriptive inequality in education

Word family

ascribeascriptiveascribed statusinequality