(Reforms; 04-03; p.5)
Income is not equally distributed in united Germany,
one finds specific differences e.g. depending on education and
profession. The following figure gives a detailed picture:
graphics
of income by classes
If one divides the population by its numbers,
other differences and their continuity become visible:
graphics
of distribution of income
Apart from income, fortune is another criterion
to define a respective social position. Geißler states for 1998
in Western Germany that differences in fortune are considerably
larger than differences in income (cf. ibid., p. 104). In regard
to Eastern Germany, he finds that East Germans had in 1998 only
about a third of their Western counterparts, but that this third
was distributed significantly more uneven (cf. ibid., p. 108).
It has to be said, however that these data is rather incomplete
and open to interpretation: wealthy people usually dislike speaking
out about their financial circumstances and e.g. a fortune of
money can easily be interpreted as more useful than say, possession
of machinery in a small firm.
All suggestions for reforms in the system of
social security will have to take into account this fundamentals,
and every suggestion should be weighed in regard to the change,
it brings to that system. Then, it is a political question, whether
or not these changes will be welcomed and find a majority.
(end of article)