income inequality
The extent to which income is distributed unevenly among a population.
speakingWork and economyGovernment and society
IELTS use
Key concept for social and economic discussions, common in speaking and writing.
Examples
- Income inequality has been rising in many developed nations.
- The government introduced a wealth tax to reduce income inequality.
- Income inequality can lead to social unrest.
- Education is often seen as a tool to combat income inequality.
Collocations
- rising income inequality
- Rising income inequality is a major concern.
- reduce income inequality
- Progressive taxation can help reduce income inequality.
- income inequality gap
- The income inequality gap is widening.
- address income inequality
- Policymakers are seeking ways to address income inequality.
Word family
- Noun
- inequality
- Adjective
- unequal
- Adverb
- unequally
Paraphrases
- wealth gap: Slightly different (wealth vs income), but often used interchangeably.
- economic disparity: Formal, broader term.
- uneven income distribution: Explanatory, less idiomatic.
Common mistakes
- Income inequality is not fair. to Income inequality is generally considered unfair.. Avoid absolute statements; use hedging language.
- The income inequality is big. to Income inequality is significant or wide.. 'Big' is too informal; use 'wide', 'significant', 'large'.
- Income inequality cause social problems. to Income inequality causes social problems.. Subject-verb agreement: 'inequality' is singular.