Paper short abstract:

This presentation analyzes youth inequalities in urban communities. It is a study with 221 young students of Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora Argentina, through Google Forms application. The results propose using research on HC for the formulation of policies to reduce youth inequalities.

Paper long abstract:

Sen (2000) argues that the analysis of inequality must consider the choice of space, that is, the variable in terms of which inequality is assessed. He also explains (2000, pp. 137-138) that inequality has been traditionally assessed in terms of income, neglecting other types of inequality, such as poor health, lack of education and/or social exclusion. When dealing with the different types of inequalities, in Latin America during the XXI Century, we can specifically point out the inequalities by age and by gender, which are considered among the determining axes of the distribution of well-being and power in society, because they are one of the bases of the social organization around which responsibilities and roles are assigned (ECLAC, 2016). This is the case of young people who do not form a homogenous group therefore in this regard it is not possible to generalize about youth. The concept of youth is a social construction built conjointly by all members of society in the context of the historical moment they are living in. To this end, we are developing a research project that aims to analyze inequalities in urban communities, from the perspective of the young students at the School of Social Sciences of the National University of Lomas de Zamora, Argentina. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study, by quantitative method with the use of a questionnaire, specifically designed with objective and subjective indicators, which include the use of closed and open questions and Likert scales. The questionnaire was organized into dimensions of analysis: demographic information, life in the community, urban mobility and access and respect at work. It has been applied to 221 university students (18-20 years old) using an electronic format, designed specifically for this research, through the Google Forms application. The results of our research show a map of the inequalities in which young people live, being our objective to propose the use of the results of research on human capabilities for the formulation of policies that allow authorities to identify the needs of young people and generate programs to reduce their inequalities (Tonon, 2022). We consider that an equal society protects and promotes equality of valuable capabilities – the central and important things that people are able to do and become – so that everyone may enjoy the substantial freedom to live in the ways that they value and choose.

Keywords: inequalities, capabilities, university students.