格差社会

• 読み: かくさしゃかい
• ローマ字: kakusa shakai
• 漢字の分解: 格 (kaku) — rank, standard, grade; 差 (sa) — difference, gap; 社 (sha) — company, society; 会 (kai) — meeting, society
• 発音: /ka.kɯ.sa.ɕa.ka.i/

意味

A society with widening inequality; a stratified society marked by large and growing gaps in income, wealth, or opportunity between different social groups.

A compound of 格差 (disparity/gap) and 社会 (society). Became a major buzzword in Japan in the 2000s as economic stagnation widened income gaps and irregular employment (非正規雇用) increased. Associated with declining social mobility and debates about Japan's traditional self-image as a 一億総中流社会 (a middle-class society). The term carries strong critical and political weight.

例文

1. 経済の低迷が続く中、格差社会の問題が政治的な争点として浮かび上がってきた。
2. 格差社会を是正するためには、教育の機会均等が最も重要な政策課題の一つだと言われる。
3. 若者の将来に対する閉塞感は、格差社会の固定化に対する不安と深く結びついている。

使い方ガイド

場面: politics, society, economics, sociology, journalism

トーン: critical

起源と歴史

格差 (kakusa, disparity/gap, from 格 meaning rank/grade and 差 meaning difference) + 社会 (shakai, society). A modern sociological compound that gained widespread use in the 2000s, often linked to research on Japanese economic inequality.

文化的背景

時代: Contemporary

世代: Adults

社会的背景: General