Original sentence: Economic inequality has always existed; its very nature, cause and importance is open to broad debate.For example, the assumption is that most firms will act to maximize profits, which means paying each worker the lowest salary or wage he or she will accept.However, this is illegal; one cannot be fired for disclosing ones' salary, excluding in certain government positions.Often inequality is  emergent.State-mandated economic polices (whether captialism, socialism, communism or some other), wars, past and present, and the natural consequence of social darwinism are among the reasons.Subconsciously, decision-makers in these types of negotiation processes are (aggregately speaking) more likely to favor men over women (and married men over single men) than the other way around.The result is that compensation matters are intentionally kept obscure by firms; some formally disallow discussion of salaries.Workers are often unsure of their "worth" to their respective firms, and matters of salaries and raises are determined in complex negotiation processes
Edited sentence: A few economists  purport that the increasing inequality within the United States represent national decline, and that if this process is not reversed, Europe will supplant it as world leader.Although there appears to be a consensus of what constitutes economic inequality, there is far less agreement over the causes of it.Economic inequality has always existed, Its very nature, cause and importance is open to broad debate.Economic inequality mkay be considered by some economists disproportionate to societal advancement; for example,  feudalist societies are usually considered to have had higher levels of economic inequality than advanced  democracies.State-mandated economic polices (whether captialism, socialism, Communism or some other), wars, past and present, and the natural consequence of social darwinism are among the reasons