Equality of Status and Distributive Equality

Abstract

A distinction between two forms of egalitarian concern that has emerged in recent years involves distributive egalitarianism, which has to do with an equal distribution of benefits and burdens, and a conception of egalitarian social standing, which has to do with members of society having some form of equal status in the social sphere. Although there have been some critical reflections on the respects in which distributive equality and status equality are different conceptions of egalitarian concern, the basis of their essential difference has not been extensively explored. As a result, the kind of value that status equality is remains underspecified in important respects.