Inequality concepts and social applications

Inequality in Condo Advertising

The research theme for this paper is two-fold: it considers inequality as a social phenomenon, and secondly how this relates to Condo advertising in newspapers. Inequality is an extremely important research issue in today's sociological environment, especially as it concerns basic needs such as housing. Advertising provides an extra dimension to the study of such issues: the findings of inequality in such advertising will provide important indications of preconceived notions regarding persons who would be in need of condominium type housing. The question of how the concept of inequality relates to condo advertising will be the focus of this paper. The reason for the investigation is that I have noticed instances of inequality when considering condo advertisements in newspapers. I have become interested in this phenomenon, and feel that it could contribute to the field of sociology to study such advertising, and other similar occurrences in the media.

I.1 Inequality

Inequality in the social setting is generally the result of both physical, sociological, and psychological phenomena. In terms of physical phenomena, inequality is based upon individual human differences on a biological or social scale. A combination of skin color and culture would for example be the basis for such inequality. In terms of psychological phenomena, inequality is based upon ideology and power. Certain sectors of society wield power over others according to a certain ideology. It is believed that these individuals have the right to the power that they wield. Finally, psychological phenomena that could be responsible for inequality include stratification and status. Stratification means that people are divided according to their status and class in life. This is the basis of great differences even in today's society, as the gap between the rich and the poor is ever-widening.

I.2 Housing and Society

According to R.J. Brym (2008), the beginning of the 20th century, during the Industrial Age, urbanization became a significant phenomenon. Cities such as Chicago saw extremely rapid growth, which in turn gave rise to other unforeseen phenomena in the urban setting. One of the examples of this is the difference between Gemeinshaft and Gesellschaft as identified by researcher Robert E. Park. Park was concerned with identifying the root causes of sociological problems arising from rapid urbanization. The concept of Gemeinshaft refers to the social and interpersonal relationships in village and tribal communities, whereas Gesellschaft relationships occurred mainly in larger cities, with social relationships being more impersonal, and based upon class, income, and ambition differences. It will be seen that this phenomenon also manifests itself in condo advertising.

Later in his work, Brym (2008) addresses the phenomenon of gentrification. This means the transformation of working-class buildings to fashionable inner city neighborhoods by persons from the middle and upper-income sectors of society. This is the result of a social shift towards greater career orientation than family life. Many of the persons looking for housing from the late 1970s tot date are unmarried and childless. Their main concern is work and entertainment. Hence they do not have need of elements such as parks and large backyards. This is the market targeted by condo advertising, as will be explicated more clearly later. Brym also mentions the economic situation in terms of housing and family life - fewer professionals can afford large family homes in today's economic climate. They therefore tend for smaller units in closer proximity to their places of work and leisure.

Condo advertising and indeed availability is therefore the result of a specific sociological and economic shift from family orientation towards work orientation.

II. Methods

The methods of investigation are fairly simple. I went to the Bracebridge library and investigated the newspapers available for condo advertising. Particularly useful for this investigation were "The Toronto Star" (2008) and "The Globe & Mail" (2008). For sociological phenomena, I investigated the library and the Internet. Particularly useful was R.J. Brym's New Society, in that it particularly discusses the types of housing and environment among which human beings found themselves historically as well as presently. This information then relates well to the findings after investigating the advertising samples.

Specifically, I scrutinized a total of 15 advertisements for 19 elements that might indicate inequality. These phenomena include: female, male, elderly, middle aged, children, upper class, race (white), visible minorities, theatre, bars, transportation, shopping, schools, restaurants, parks, technology, daycares, and hospitals. I then organized the data into a table to indicate how many of the advertisements included these phenomena. According to the result, I could then draw conclusions regarding the relative inequality of these samples.

While I had very little difficulty obtaining the data, I do believe the study includes some limitations. Because of the brevity of the paper, the scope is rather limited. Condo advertising is a very narrow field. In addition, 15 advertisements from two newspapers does not yield a comprehensive indication of inequality in these advertisements. A further limitation is the fact that no deeper investigation has been made into the creation process for condo ads. It could be that specific demographic research has indicated a greater interest among middle and upper class women than among the visible minority, and that assumptions or inequality as such is not so much the issue as reaching the most likely target market. These are issues that will need further investigation.

I do however believe that the methods and focus of this study provides some starting point for future studies in this regard. Advertising is a highly social phenomenon and can provide very significant insights into the dynamics and needs of the society it caters for and focuses upon. It can also indicate market trends and how to remedy social ills such as the still rampant inequality in a society that professes equal opportunities for all.

III. Findings and Analysis

III.1 Findings

As mentioned above, 15 advertisements were scrutinized for 19 specific elements that might indicate inequality. For the purpose of this researched, only 11 of these elements will be discussed and analyzed; these include the female, male, elderly, middle aged, children, upper and lower class, white race, visible minorities, daycares and hospitals. The amount of focus on these range between very high and very low. There are few elements that indicate an average amount of inclusion.

Specifically, the findings are as follows. In the very high frequency range falls the following: Female (11 out of 15 advertisements display women); Middle Aged (14 out of 15); upper/middle class (14 out of 15); and the White Race (11 out of 15). In the very low range are the following: Male (3 out of 15 advertisements display men); the Elderly (0); Children (0); Lower Class (0); Visible Minorities (0); Daycares and Hospitals (0).

The findings are interesting in several sociological and economic respects. Significantly, the advertisements appear to appeal to the middle aged, white female professional from the upper/middle class, who tends to be unmarried and have no children. The elderly, the lower classes and visible minorities seem to be excluded. Being healthy, the white female target market would not need daycares and hospitals.

The findings therefore appear to indicate that condo advertisements generally appeal to single, white, healthy females who are fairly well off economically. It appears that advertisers assume that visible minorities would be synonymous with the lower classes, and would therefore not be interested in buying condos. In terms of family, there also appears to be an assumption that lower classes or visible minorities would attach greater importance to family life than advancing professionally.

III.2 Analysis

From a social viewpoint, there are significant inequalities indicated by the advertisements scrutinized. Most significant is the assumption that those most interested in condos would be white middle aged women. This is a sector of society that has long been oppressed by the white male majority. It is perhaps a victory for white women that they are targeted by this kind of advertising.

After gaining the vote at the beginning of the 20th century, women were still oppressed in countless ways. They were expected to look after the home and children while men were generally expected to work and engage in intellectual pursuits. Once they were allowed to enter the job market, women were oppressed by smaller salaries for the same job descriptions as their male counterparts. They were overlooked for promotions, while males who were sometimes less competent than they gained more opportunities. They were also discriminated against in the education and hiring processes.

When related to the findings above, it appears that, at least in terms of the condo market, this is no longer the case. Women are assumed to make up at least half of the well-paid professional sector of society. Experiencing freedoms that had not been theirs for centuries, they might be interested in high-class homes that are nonetheless small enough for a single person who is not necessarily interested in marriage. Their primary concern is their career.

As mentioned by Brym (2008), this is not only a sociological, but also an economic phenomenon. While women are reacting to historical sociological oppression by relentlessly pursuing their professional ambitions, many of them also find themselves doing so of economic necessity. It is no longer an economically viable option to pursue family life to the exclusion of professional life. Even in households with children (or especially in these households), it has become expected that both men and women would work outside the home. Too often, this trend is driven by economic circumstances rather than professional ambition as such.

It is furthermore significant that men do not occur in high frequency in the advertisements scrutinized. This appears to indicate that men are more oriented towards both family and career, or at least that they are not so concerned with the image of the condo market as their female counterparts. Being more oriented towards both family and career makes more sense for the modern man, as this has been the male paradigm since before the beginning of the female struggle towards more fulfillment than only family life. Men may have a greater tendency to focus on their career while also having a family. It the female, on the other hand, the directive towards nurture often wars with the directive towards a career to such an extent that the modern woman, in reaction to the past might opt exclusively for a career, at least during the first part of her professional life.

Of greatest significance is the exclusion of the visible minority from condo advertising. Although the perception of the advertisements for the purpose of this study is somewhat limited, as mentioned above, I do however believe that it bears mention. In a society that claims equality for al sectors of its citizens, I find the inequality of visible minority representation in condo ads interesting. Certainly this sector of society has now advanced, through struggle to an economic status where they can afford this type of housing. It is also possible that demographic research indicates a low interest level among this group for this particular type of housing. Visible minority groups may for example, like men, attach greater importance to family life than to their respective professions. Their higher economic status could also mean that they can afford larger family homes and greater distances from their work and entertainment locations. Furthermore, such families will need parks, schools, hospitals, and other institutions that families generally require.

The exclusion of the lower classes makes sense in terms of status and work. It might be assumed that they would not be catered for in condo advertising, as the lower classes tend to opt for cheaper or free housing options. Furthermore, these classes tend to be employed at workplaces that are not in the condo proximity, and condo living would further inconvenience them. This can however be construed as an instance of inequality in condo advertising, as lower class citizens are regarded in a certain manner by those in higher classes. In this case, condo advertising perpetuates the social structures mentioned in the introduction.