Statistics comparing inequality between racial and gender groups are relentless in the news lately, signaling great ethical concern about inequality. It is not always "woke", reports that men are doing worse than women at university, or European birth rates are far behind non-European birth rates, for instance are there too, though less common. This seems scientific because it involves numbers but there is ideology behind organizing data in this particular way that serves to reinforce, and distract from, the inherently unequal power structures of society.
Firstly it divides and conquers, racial or gender groups doing less well are encouraged to resent those racial or gender groups doing better than their group (in some particular parameter) rather than those richer and more powerful than them who are of diverse race and gender. It also discourages solidarity with all others in the same economic class regardless of their gender or race.
Secondly it implies the amount of inequality in society does not matter as long as it is evenly spread between genders and races. It does not matter if people are starving to death as long as it is "fair", as long as the races and genders are equally represented among the casualties.
Finally it masks inequality within groups which may be greater than inequality between groups. This suits the elites of all racial and gender groups.
