What is social structure, and why does it help some but harm others?

The college admissions cheating scandal has outraged millions, bringing to light the gaps between the privileged and less privileged citizens. Being a social scientist who studies societal origins of economic and health inequalities, it was clear to me that it was a manifestation of deep structural inequalities in the U.S. social hierarchy. Such structural inequalities appear in various forms, including wealth and health inequalities.