Q1. What is Social Justice?

Introduction

Social justice is closely related to the concepts of socialism and revolutionary communism. Originated during the Industrial Revolution, It consists of principles of Equality, Equity, Access to resources, and Human rights. Social justice can be achieved by people through protests, riots, activism, etc. People can work for social justice by taking up social work, victim advocate, community developer, and such other professions. The governments work toward social justice by integrating it in governance, laws, policies, etc. Many governments establish a dedicated social justice ministry. India tries to achieve social justice through its dedicated Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, subsidy schemes for marginalised communities, articles having social justice underlined in the Constitution, and movements such as the farmer’s protests.

Defining social justice

1. As per the United Nations, “Social justice may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth.”
2. As per the National Association of Social Workers, “Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. The key and defining elements in every definition of social justice are fairness and equality.”

History and Evolution of Social Justice

Income inequality during the 19th century’s Industrial Revolution gave birth to the concept of social justice. Even with the emergence of Industries, the problem of unequal distribution of wealth and resources among rich and poor remained the same. Hence, at the start, the concept of social justice was focused only on the unequal distribution of income among individuals. 

But, the Industrial revolution brought along a pandora box of issues – such as poor working conditions, low wages, poor safety, sanitary living conditions, etc. As a result, a new wave of revolution was witnessed in society. Various movements, such as labor unions, feminist movements, social welfare, and movements against racism, aimed to achieve social justice and also lead towards the formation of an egalitarian society. Social justice was used as the base principle in these movements. 

Later, in the modern period, social justice expanded its scope. Social justice is now relevant in every interaction between humans among themselves or with society. Earlier, the concept of equality was the main aim of any social justice movement. But now, social justice takes into account the systemic disadvantages faced by the marginalised communities and aims for equity instead of equality. Hence, the major difference between the two periods is that during the Industrial Revolution, the aim was to achieve the same treatment for all, and in the modern period, the aim is to give such a level of tailored treatment so as to bring everyone on the same level. 

Understanding Social Justice

Social justice is the pillar of socialism. It is also found in some religious teachings and observed as a way of life. 

Social justice may be executed by favouring certain disadvantaged groups or by taking away or restricting the upper hand enjoyed by a privileged group. It is essential to identify the target demographic. Race, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, caste, religious affiliation, and income level are some basic demographics considered. 

Principles of Social Justice

Social justice has the underlying principles of:

Equity

In a fair and just society, the disadvantages faced by a person due to their identity or background should not in any way deter their progress in comparison with others. An ideal society would take into account these disadvantages faced by such persons and take an extra step to reduce these disadvantages. It would also give them such an amount of support and opportunity so as to be able to compete with their other peers. 

Equity can work in two ways such as either by: 

1. giving extra support to the marginalised community to achieve a level field between them and others, or 
2. to restrict the privilege experienced by the privileged communities so as to level the field between them and the marginalised communities. 

The following illustration can best explain this:

Three people are trying to see over the fence. One of them is tall and can see over the fence without any box to stand on. The second person, who is a foot shorter than the fence, is given a one-foot long box to stand on. The third person is very short and hence is given a tall box enough to see over the fence. This unequal distribution of boxes as per the needs of individuals showcases the concept of equity. 

Access to Resources / Equality

It would not be wrong to say that the kind of resources a person has access to can make or break their career, education, and even life. Unequal access to resources has always been a hindrance to social equality. Access to resources (such as education, infrastructure, healthcare, etc.) is dependent on one’s social, economic, or political status. Even the quality of the resource accessed is dependent on the privilege enjoyed by the user. For example, a person residing in a city has access to better quality healthcare as compared to a person residing in a village or town.

Hence, social justice envisions access to the same level of quality resources for every person. 

Participation

This principle calls for citizen participation in matters concerning themselves. It is also an essential principle of democracy. Citizens should actively participate and be a part of the solution. The idea of this principle is when a group of homogenous people make decisions on matters concerning the society, it fails to consider problems faced by others and also the views of other groups. As a result, other groups hardly get the benefit or experience additional disadvantages.