 This is a study guide for Chapter 5 of Sociology for Optimists by Mary Holmes, published in 2015, the chapter is called Equality. Please note that these study guides are meant to point out some important concepts of interest to introductory students. These are not designed to be thorough or provide an in-depth discussion. The chapter will be skipped or barely discussed, while other concepts will be given more emphasis than the chapter may have given them. Also note that the purpose of this book is to look at ways in which sociology can provide a basis for optimism, so discussions of pessimism and optimism will be central to this guide. Next let's look at where inequality persists throughout the world. Sexism persists. There's room for improvement in political power worldwide. Only 24% of legislative, that is parliament, congresses and so forth, seats are held by women as of 2015. There's room for improvement in work equality as unpaid work, such as caregiving, is still largely done by women, and a wage gap persists. Racism persists. Room for improvement in political power includes the criminal justice system, which in most developed countries is still biased against ethnic minorities. Room for improvement in educational equality in the U.S. dropout rates are still high among minority groups, and gaps in performance still exist. There's room for improvement in work equality. The glass ceiling, only allowing people of color to rise so high in an organization, and the glass cliff, allowing a person of color to take an executive position only when the company is in trouble, still exists, so does the wage gap and offering lower prestige jobs. Classism persists. There's room for improvement when considering income inequality, which is widened increasingly and wealth gaps which persists among nations. There's also a belittling of working class that has grown culturally in many developed countries. There has been a great deal of progress made in developed and developing countries to bring about more equality, and we should acknowledge this openly even though much more work needs to be done. Sexism has been reduced. In the arena of political power, women have the votes in most places, and an increasing number of political offices are held by women. Laws are changing that support reproduction choice, parenting, and protect against violence. In the arena of work, more women throughout the world are working outside the home. The pay gap is slowly narrowing. The meaning of masculinity is changing and is being challenged. Racism has been reduced. In the area of political power, many former colonies have become independent. Many Jim Crow and apartheid laws have been overturned. In the area of education, many ethnic minorities across the world are pursuing higher degrees, and gaps in performance and completion are closing. In the area of work, some reduction in wage gaps and increases in promotions. There are, we are seeing persons of color occupying higher and higher positions in major companies. Classism has been reduced in that the proportion of the world living in poverty, especially absolute poverty, has been reduced considerably. So where is the optimism? What does sociology offer? Sociology offers survey methodology, especially in comparing economic status and perceptions of happiness. A lot of claims have been made about how money is not necessarily what needs to be pursued for the world to have not. Sociology's experience with surveying populations can help sift through what the data really means. Sociologists can provide the means to sort through how oppression shapes human interactions and how to develop respect from individuals caught within those entanglements through interrelational perspective. Sociology provides a fuller understanding of the mechanisms of discrimination and can assess the progress of improvements in law, work, political position, violence, etc.