bipolarize

transitive verb

bi·​po·​lar·​ize (ˌ)bī-ˈpō-lə-ˌrīz 

variants also British bipolarise

(ˌ)bī-ˈpō-lə-ˌrīz

: to bring into a bipolar state

bipolarization noun

also British bipolarisation

(ˌ)bī-ˌpō-lə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

-ˌrī-ˈzā-

The students Manhattan College is pursuing are the products of New York's shift toward a service-based economy, Brother [Thomas J.] Scanlan said. "The economy has led to a bipolarization of society and students have become either very wealthy or very poor," he said.

—New York Times, 23 Mar. 1988

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