30 Ideas for Exploring Social Inequality in the U.S. in Your Research Paper

So, you’re tasked with writing a research paper, and you know its general scope. You’ll need to investigate the social inequality in the United States.

But this is where your certainty ends. You’re overwhelmed, thinking, “Who can do my essay for me?” You have no idea which facet of this complex sociological phenomenon to delve into. You’re also nowhere near finalizing your research methods.

In this quest for academic excellence and clarity, seeking a custom essay becomes not just an option but a strategic step towards achieving your goals. It’s about finding that perfect blend of personal insight and academic rigor, tailored specifically to your project’s needs. This approach not only alleviates your stress but also enriches your understanding of the subject at hand.

 

You’ve come to the right place. We’ve gathered the 30 most pertinent topic ideas tailored for students like you, searching for a custom term paper or research paper writer that focuses on inequality in the U.S. Additionally, we’ve enumerated the research methods you can employ to ensure a thorough and insightful investigation. Whether you’re in the preliminary stages or looking for a refined direction, our list is sure to guide your research endeavors.

10 Topic Ideas on Socioeconomic Inequality in the U.S.

Socioeconomic inequality is the first thing you may think of when you think of inequality. It concerns the wealth gap and gender pay gap, for example.

 

Here are 10 topics you can explore if you decide to focus on this type of inequality:

 

  1. Slavery and its long-lasting effects on the wealth gap between Black and White Americans.
  2. How access to public transportation impacts household income and employment rates.
  3. The wealth gap between the top 1% of the richest Americans and the bottom 20%: why it’s growing and how to bridge it.
  4. Racial disparities in access to health and welfare in the U.S.
  5. How income inequality affects the social mobility of people of color.
  6. Access to broadband internet and its impact on access to remote or hybrid work.
  7. The gender pay gap and racial disparities: do women of color earn less than their white counterparts?
  8. Housing discrimination against individuals who previously filed for bankruptcy.
  9. Chapter 13 vs Chapter 7 bankruptcy: are attorneys more likely to suggest the more expensive Chapter 13 bankruptcy to people of color?
  10. The effects of inflation concerning essential goods (transportation, accommodation, food) on lower-income households vs upper-income households.

10 Topic Ideas on Health Inequality in the U.S.

Health inequality refers to the disparities in access to healthcare, health outcomes, and expectancy of life. It’s hardly a cakewalk to write about it, since you also need to have some knowledge of the healthcare system and medicine. To make time for it, you can always look into the paper writing services to have someone else take care of your other homework!

 

If you’d still like to delve deep into health inequality, here are 10 suggestions that you can use as your jumping-off point:

 

  1. Environmental racism: are people of color more likely to live near Superfund sites?
  2. Why do women have a higher life expectancy at birth than men in the U.S. (79.3 years vs 73.5 years)?
  3. Racial bias and the prescription of painkillers: are Black Americans less likely to receive a prescription?
  4. Heart attacks and gender bias: are women more likely to be misdiagnosed?
  5. Reproductive healthcare rights in the Republican-controlled states vs Democrat-controlled states.
  6. Diseases of despair: do they affect people of color at higher rates?
  7. Access to healthcare and income inequality: are low-income households forced to avoid ERs and hospitals due to costs?
  8. Black Americans and excess deaths caused by health inequality: causes and solutions.
  9. Cancer and racial disparities in access to treatment.
  10. Racial bias among healthcare professionals: is there misinformation regarding Black Americans?

10 Topic Ideas on Political Inequality in the U.S.

Political inequality concerns access to political power and civil rights, like the right to vote. Here’s what you can explore if you decide to focus on this particular type of inequality in the U.S.:

 

  1. Gerrymandering: how it affects the right to vote of non-White Americans.
  2. Decrease in the number of polling centers in predominantly non-White districts and how it impacts the number of voting adults.
  3. The ethnic and age group composition of the general population vs the House of Representatives: how they match up.
  4. Obstacles in access to voting by mail: do they disproportionately affect people of color?
  5. The regression in LGBT rights in Florida and how it affects the community.
  6. Disparities in access to legal counsel for low-income vs upper-income individuals.
  7. Gender discrimination in the workplace: the gaming industry case study.
  8. The ultrarich individuals and their disproportionate impact on policy-making in the U.S.
  9. Are low-income households underrepresented at the state and federal levels?
  10. Rates of incarceration among low-income people of color vs low-income White Americans vs upper-income people of color vs upper-income White Americans.

What Research Methods Should You Consider?

Depending on your field of study, you may have a different set of research methods in your toolkit. Historians can rarely use surveys in their research, for example. But it’s the most common research method for sociologists.

 

Here are the primary research methods you can use in writing your paper on inequality:

 

  • Surveys. This method will help you gain quantitative data on one or several segments of the population – and compare it.
  • Observation. Watching a certain process without intervening or influencing it can help you gather quantitative or qualitative data.
  • Interviews and focus groups. Talking to people will give you qualitative data regarding inequality, its origins, and its impact on the individual level.

 

Plus, don’t forget about secondary research methods. Those include literature reviews, case studies, or statistical data analysis using authoritative sources like the U.S. Census and Pew Research Center.

 

Speaking of data. You can conduct statistical analysis using it, or aggregate and process findings of multiple studies using meta-analysis.

How to Choose the Right Topic for Your Research Paper

Don’t know how to settle on your research paper topic? Fret not: here are four tips for you to choose the topic that you’ll enjoy exploring:

 

  • Consider your interests. If healthcare is hardly interesting for you, don’t focus on inequalities in access to it. Instead, settle on something that sparks your curiosity the moment you think about it.
  • Look into the existing literature. Your topic should be original enough to warrant a whole research paper. So, take a dive into existing papers on your shortlisted subjects and see how you can contribute to the field.
  • Talk to your advisor. They can also help you understand if the topic is unique enough or suggest some tweaks to it.
  • Polish off your topic. It shouldn’t be too narrow or too broad. It should also be important, interesting, and impactful for the field.

30 Ideas for Exploring Social Inequality in the U.S. in Your Research Paper

In Conclusion

This is it – your mini-guide to writing a research paper on social inequality in the United States. So, go ahead and look into the ideas that piqued your interest, and use the tips above to settle on what you’ll be exploring. And make sure to pick the right research methods, too. Good luck!