A black man being accused of shoplifting because he’s in an expensive store, a wheelchair user not being taken seriously because of their circumstances, and a janitor being assumed poor due to their job are all examples of inequality. When you think of the word inequality, you automatically think of unfair treatment among others who are different, and that idea isn’t wrong. However, we never tend to think deeper than that, like how inequality impacts different types of people. Or even how those experiences can vary depending on who you are.

The statistics surrounding inequality contradict each other so much, making it very difficult to understand. More than 70% of women face inequality overall, whether that be gender, race, economic status, all of it. While about 50% of men go through the same. However, up to 90% of women develop mental health issues from inequality, with 74% of women getting the help they need and conquering mental health problems. Up to 77% of men develop mental health issues from inequality, with less than 40% of men getting the help they need to overcome the mental issues. Women deal with more inequality, but are taken seriously to get help for it, while when men struggle mentally with the same thing, they aren’t treated the same because of their gender. Proving that inequality is faced in its own ways.

Roughly 1 in 5 people worldwide experience inequality, which raises an important question: why? Is there ever a way to truly overcome it? It’s almost like a group of dogs lives in the same house, but somehow the smallest dog is always left out. Even in animal lives, inequality still exists. This brings me to my main point: why does inequality exist if no two people on this earth are exactly the same?

It seems pointless to think deeper about something that has a clear definition, but sometimes the clear definition isn’t the only one. Even people in an all-white, male, high-running corporate company know the feeling of inequality very closely, like all of the businessmen looking down on the one man who is equally smart and equally qualified, but isn’t married and doesn’t have kids. I can’t help but often think, why do people feel the need to do this? Is there REALLY a way to stop inequality?

Maybe the answer isn’t that inequality has a single cause, but that it’s rooted in how humans subconsciously sort the world around them. People look for those like them, but that can quickly turn into assumptions about those who aren’t. The moment someone is seen as “different,” whether by race, gender, ability, or even lifestyle, that difference can be used to separate rather than understand. It’s not exactly always loud or direct; sometimes inequality exists in the quiet moments, like who gets listened to in a conversation, or who gets a second chance at something. That’s what makes it so difficult to fully grasp; it’s not just one action, but a collection of small behaviors that just build over time.

So, is there a way to stop it? Realistically, inequality may never completely disappear, but that doesn’t mean it’s pointless to challenge it. So to answer my question, no, you cannot stop inequality. But if we change the way we respond to it, a difference can be made.