Inequality refers to differences in living conditions in a society; it could also be defined as an unequal distribution of a country's resources among its population. Inequality is obviously an important issue, as higher levels of inequality usually result in higher levels of poverty, crime and social unrest. However, it is often ignored by society. This is because people have many misconceptions about inequality and its origins. Some argue that equal opportunities exist and that it is people's fault if they earn less than they should. However this is a myth, since most hard-working, low-income students rarely attend college, and when they do, they usually attend public universities. Which leaves them at a huge disadvantage, so the idea that poor people are poor because they “didn't work hard” or because they are “lazy” is a very ignorant idea, which people choose to believe to justify inequality. I decided to explore inequality further because it is deeply rooted in Egyptian society; it is one of the few places where luxury five-star hotels can be found right next to poverty-stricken slums and since the revolution the problem of inequality has been a hot topic in Egyptian society and politics. Egypt's Gini coefficient, which is the most commonly used measure of income inequality, stands at around 30.7 (World Bank 2009). Inequality is seen as a limit both to Egypt's potential economic growth and to its desired reduction in poverty. Agricultural economics expert Nadia Belhaj Hassine sums up inequality perfectly in the World Bank's review of inequality of opportunity in Egypt: Inequality of achievement, such as in income or education, reflects differences in effort and... center of paper ......increase trade liberalization. This includes policies such as tariff reductions, which have led to the expansion of many economic sectors, which in turn have reduced inequality for urban and rural skilled men, as well as women (gender inequality) and seen greater opportunities of work for women. However, the success of such policies in reducing inequality had its limits, as at the same time there was an increase in inequality for unskilled men and skilled women in rural areas (Chahir & Zaki 2012). It can be argued that such trade liberalization policies are partially responsible for the decrease in income inequality in Egypt as the expansion of some sectors has reduced gender inequality and inequality between rural and urban areas, while increasing inequality for unskilled men and skilled women in rural areas.