SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

Reduce inequality within and among countries

Facts:*

In 2016, 22% of global income was received by the top 1% compared with 10% of income for the bottom 50%.
Economic inequality is largely driven by the unequal ownership of capital. Since 1980, very large transfers of public to private wealth occurred in nearly all countries. The global wealth share of the top 1% was 33% in 2016.
Women spend, on average, twice as much time on unpaid housework as men.
In 2014, 3.8 million people immigrated to one of the EU28 Member States, while 2.8 million emigrants reportedly left an EU Member State.

#SDGChallenge:

Check out the Compass – a Manual for Human Rights Education for Young People. Take one of its exercises and run it for a group of choice. Among our favourite and most powerful exercises connected to inequalities are Take a step forward and Scramble for wealth and power.
Surround yourself with people who are different from you. Speak to people of different age, different origin, different gender, different sexual orientation. Listen to their story. Acknowledge their challenges, notice similarities.
Let people from discriminated groups know that they can count on you. You can join as a volunteer a local organization supporting migrants, LGBTQ+, women, etc. You can speak directly to your friends and colleagues who you know experience discrimination. You can write a post in social media or use a frame in your profile picture stating that you support a particular group or human rights in general. You may never know it, but some of your friends will feel relieved seeing or reading that.

More inspiration:

To read

One of the targets in SDG10 is to „Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.” Below we share some changemaker stories related to these areas.

Age (changemakers supporting seniors):

Origin/race/ethnicity (changemakers supporting migrants or people from a different ethnicity):

Wefugees, Germany (social business working with refugees)
MBQ, Romania (social business working with Roma people)

Disability (changemakers supporting people with disabilities)

Fundacja Szansa dla Niewidomych, Poland (story of Monika, blind woman who turns her disability into her superpower)
Equilibri, Italy (second hand bookshop hiring people with mental disabilities)
Wideotłumacz, Poland (sign language video translator which makes it possible for Deaf people to use public services)
Klongdinsor, Thailand (drawing tool designed for blind children)

Gender (changemakers supporting women):

Project Oi, Romania (knitting meeting for women)
WoWomen, Azerbaijan (NGO empowering women through workshops and common actions)
Yangon BakeHouse, Myanmar (cafeteria providing jobs and education to women from disadvantaged background)
Wedu, Thailand (support program for female changemakers from South-East Asia) You can find more stories connected to gender equality in the post related to SDG5: Gender Equality

For changemakers supporting people in a difficult economic status, please check SDG 1: No Poverty.

To watch

Introduction to SDG10.
The Blue Eyed, a documentary which helps to understand how discrimination works. You can also have a look at other videos about the Blue Eyed experiment run by Jane Elliot, for example here.
Social campaigns connected to (in)equality:

All That We Share

Take Two Steps Forward Race

Blind spots: Challenge assumptions

4. Prefer a regular movie? Check these to discover more about inequalities (and how they can be overcome):

The Best of Enemies

Hidden Figure

Green Book

Si puo' fare

For more info about other SDGs, have a look here.

* These information and calls to action come from the fantastic Development Perspectives material about SDGs. Have a look here to discover more.