The relationship between risk and inequality has become a key area of research and theoretical debate in sociology and risk studies more broadly. My aim in this paper is to explore the role culture plays in the (re)production of inequalities of risk exposure. More specifically, I examine the ways cultural systems shape and animate judgements about acceptable standards of risk exposure for different groups within a society. The case study examines divergent policy judgements about acceptable risk exposure to road accident injury and death between a group of temporary visa workers and all other private passengers in Singapore. A key objective of the paper is to demonstrate the conceptual and empirical utility of Mary Douglas’ cultural perspective for studying interconnections between risk and inequality. In particular, how taking up the problem of ‘risk acceptability’ is an effective way of approaching and studying the ways risk and inequality operate as mutually constitutive relations. In the discussion I show that what counts as risk and how acceptable or not risk is judged to be depends on the cultural system of classification used and the stratified social order it (re)produces. In the conclusion I consider the broader utility and significance of this critical approach for studying relations between risk and inequality through the problem of risk acceptability. A utility that may take on a particular significance in the present time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

风险与不平等之间的关系已成为更广泛的社会学和风险研究中研究和理论辩论的关键领域。我在本文中的目的是探讨文化在（重新）产生风险暴露不平等中所起的作用。更具体地说，我研究了文化系统如何塑造和激发对社会中不同群体可接受的风险暴露标准的判断。该案例研究考察了新加坡临时签证工作人员和所有其他私人乘客之间关于可接受的道路事故伤害和死亡风险的不同政策判断。本文的一个关键目标是展示玛丽·道格拉斯的文化视角在研究风险和不平等之间的相互联系方面的概念和经验效用。特别是，如何处理“风险可接受性”的问题是一种有效的方法来接近和研究风险和不平等如何作为相互构成的关系运作。在讨论中，我表明什么是风险以及如何判断风险是否可以接受取决于所使用的分类文化系统和它（重新）产生的分层社会秩序。在结论中，我考虑了通过风险可接受性问题研究风险与不平等之间关系的这种批判性方法的更广泛的效用和意义。在当前 COVID-19 大流行期间可能具有特殊意义的实用程序。在讨论中，我表明什么是风险以及如何判断风险是否可以接受取决于所使用的分类文化系统和它（重新）产生的分层社会秩序。在结论中，我考虑了通过风险可接受性问题研究风险与不平等之间关系的这种批判性方法的更广泛的效用和意义。在当前 COVID-19 大流行期间可能具有特殊意义的实用程序。在讨论中，我表明什么是风险以及如何判断风险是否可以接受取决于所使用的分类文化系统和它（重新）产生的分层社会秩序。在结论中，我考虑了通过风险可接受性问题研究风险与不平等之间关系的这种批判性方法的更广泛的效用和意义。在当前 COVID-19 大流行期间可能具有特殊意义的实用程序。