Sending the elevator back down: a mutual constitution between vertical and horizontal inequality

Abstract

This paper explores inequality through a lens of mutual constitution between context and behaviour. It combines group-based, horizontal inequality with within-group, vertical inequality to assess how both shape certain behavioural dynamics. By drawing on unique primary data, containing egocentric network data of 205 adult Namibians, I study behavioural patterns of support within the context of a highly unequal and stratified society. In doing so, I further address the Black Tax narrative, a colloquial term which emphasises how former economic constraint has shaped the support practices of black Namibian families. More precisely, becoming better off comes with an expectation to support relatively worse-off family members, which has been expressed as 'sending the elevator back down'. Using a mixed-effect regression approach, I estimate the effect of individuals' socioeconomic positions in the observed socioeconomic distances in their support relationships-thus, how 'far' or 'economically distanced' one generally is from those mentioned within their support network. My results propose that economic distance in the support relationships of black Namibians tends to increase for those who hold higher socioeconomic positions. I hereby provide the first empirical evidence for the Black Tax narrative in the Namibian context. I further demonstrate a mutual constitution of horizontal and vertical inequality whereby former economic constraint seems to have shaped the support practices of black and white Namibian families in different ways.

Patterns and lived realities: Exploring informal social protection across race and education

“…This then implies that white support networks, though more homogenous in economic terms when it concerns family members, tend to be more diverse if support transcends family boundaries. It also stresses that there appears to be more socioeconomic heterogeneity within black families which mayin partexplain higher support levels within black families (Oppel, 2021a(Oppel, , 2021b). In the following, I shall unpack this further by focussing on two individual case studies of a white and black tertiary degree holder in the Namibian context.…”

“…In addition, when black and white Namibians achieve a similar socioeconomic standing, i.e., both have a tertiary degree, group‐based inequalities seem to translate into vertical inequalities. Hereby, the socioeconomic heterogeneity reaching ‘further down’ remains greater for ISP practices of black and not white Namibians (see also Oppel, 2021a). Findings which support this dynamic include for example, black tertiary degree holders showing fewer support activities with educational peers than white tertiary degree holders (32% vs. 50% of their support activities).…”