DVA1502 ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2 2025 (Answer Guide) 737656 – Due 15TH September 2025

DVA1502 ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2 2025 (Answer Guide) 737656 – Due 15TH September 2025 Title The Impact of COVID-19 on Inequalities: A Comparative Analysis of a South African Township Family and a Suburban Family in a High-Income Country Introduction The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in late 2019 rapidly developed into one of the most significant global health crises in recent history. Declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020, COVID-19 not only strained health systems but also exposed and amplified existing inequalities within and between nations (WHO, 2020). While the virus affected populations worldwide, its social, economic, and educational consequences were unevenly distributed, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities and low- and middle-income countries. This assignment examines the impact of COVID-19 by comparing two fictional families: one residing in a low-income township in South Africa, and the other in a middle-class suburb of a high-income country. Each family comprises four generations grandparents, parents, teenagers, and children which allows for an exploration of the intergenerational consequences of the pandemic. The discussion focuses on four critical areas: demographics, healthcare, education, and economic opportunity. The aim is to demonstrate how the pandemic deepened inequalities across these domains, while also highlighting differences in how the world and South Africa responded to the crisis. By adopting a comparative and structured analysis, this paper illustrates the ways in which COVID-19 intensified structural inequalities, both at the global level and within South Africa, and considers the implications for long-term social and economic development.