The highest-income fifth of American families earned 59.1% of all income, while the richest earned 88.9% of all wealth. A large gap between rich and poor is often associated with low social mobility, which contradicts the American ideal of equality of opportunity. Levels of income inequality are higher than they have been in almost a century, with the richest 1% having a share of national income of more than 20% (Wilhelm). Various factors influence income inequality, some of which will be discussed in this paper. Increasing income inequality is caused by differences in life expectancy, the rapid rise in income of the richest 5 percent, social trends and changes in the global economy. Variations in life expectancy and its changes are one of the main causes of increasing income inequality. A person's lifespan, as well as their quality of health, can have a significant and considerable impact on their income and social mobility. The life expectancy of the poorest 10% is increasing only half as fast as that of the richest 10% (Belsie). This shows that medical advances benefit the rich more than the poor. The less wealthy have less access to good medical insurance and cannot afford quality and more expensive medical care. The poor are less likely to invest in healthy eating and exercise, reducing their life expectancy and overall health. These changes result in a cycle in which the poor become less healthy and the less healthy become poorer and poorer. On the other hand, the rich have different variations in habits, education and environment, which can affect life expectancy, often in a positive way for the richest. The top 10 percent, and even more so the top 1 percent, are experiencing income increases... middle of paper ...... options, loopholes and other distortions that benefit the rich. The ultimate goal is to enable something deeply rooted in the American dream, opportunity for all, regardless of socioeconomic background. Works Cited Belsie, Laurent. “The causes of the increase in income inequality”. Np, March 5, 2009. Web. April 30, 2014 Desilver, Drew. “Income inequality in the United States, rising for decades, is now the highest since 1928.” Pew Research Center RSS. Np December 30, 2010.Web. Apr 30, 2014.Fletcher, Michael. “Income inequality hurts economic growth,” The Washington Post. Np, January 24, 2010. Web. April 29, 2014. Price, Mark. “America's Increasingly Unequal States: Income Inequality by State, 1917 to 2011.” Economic Policy Institute. Np, February 19, 2014. Web. April 30, 2014 Wilhelm, Heather “The Great Income Inequality Sham” Really clear policy. May 2013. The web. April 29 2014.