Abstract Social stratification has been shown, through many different studies, to be an influential factor with regards to unequal health. There are several key systems of social stratification including: gender, income, race, and education. All of these systems play different roles when shaping an individual's health. It can also be common that there is no distinct barrier between these systems as if can often be the case that these systems link in with each other. They can sometimes have an effect on each other, for example, income and gender are two areas that are often linked together due to women, on average, still earning less than men. Therefore, similar health inequalities can occur. When discussing social stratification, the three …show more content…
Social stratification is a term that is used to describe how people are sorted into a hierarchy within society. This is primarily based around the concept of wealth, but there are other socially important characteristics that are influential factors when discussing social stratification. These include education, gender, and race. Social inequality results from a society organised by these hierarchal systems through which resources and rights are distributed unequally. The impact of this can manifest itself in a variety of ways. For example, unequal access to education, income and wealth inequality, different treatment by police and judicial system, and unequal health. Social stratification and social inequality go hand in hand. This essay will attempt to define why systems of social stratification lead to unequal health by looking at the different types of hierarchal systems and what roles they play with regards to health …show more content…
This often manifests itself in such a way that it focusses on gender-equality, ensuring the participation of women, but also includes an understanding of the different expectations and roles of the genders within the community. The United Nations recognise that women's dual responsibilities as both income earners and primary care givers can, at times, lead to them suffering from financial issues or poverty. Therefore, they may be unable to access the necessary health and education services. The United Nations developed the Gender-related Development Index (GDI) which aimed to highlight the health inequalities between men and women in some key areas including: long and healthy life, knowledge, and standard of
Love, what a small word for being one of the most powerful and complicated emotion someone can receive. Love grants people an experience of other emotions such as, sadness, happiness, jealousy, hatred and many more. It is because of those characteristics that love creates that make it so difficult to define the emotion in a few words. In the play, “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, defy their parents in hopes of being able to be together and live a happy life. The characters in “Romeo and Juliet” show the characteristics of love through their words and actions throughout the play. The attributes the characters illustrate throughout the play are rage, loyalty, and sorrow.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are increasingly becoming a major problem of Public Health around the World. The impact of resources and material deprivation among people and populations has resulted in an increase in mortality rate on a planetary scale. Social determinants of health are defined as the personal, social, economic and the environmental conditions which determines the health status of an individual or population (Gardner, 2013). Today’s society is characterized by inequalities in health, education, income and many other factors which as a result is becoming a burden for Public Health around the world. Research studies have shown that the conditions in which people live and work strongly influenced their health. Individuals with high levels of education and fall within the high income bracket turn to have stable jobs, live in the best neighborhood and have access to quality health care system than individuals who have low education and fall with the low income bracket. This paper is to explain different social determinants of health and how they play ...
Health and inequality have always been two very controversial topics in society. Society tends to classify us into a class (or social class) based on an unequal distribution of power, wealth, income, and status (Germov 2015: p. 510). Your socioeconomic status”(SES) is also a major factor in the health inequalities we face in todays society. What does socioeconomic status (SES) even mean?
Social determinants of health have attracted the attention of governments, policy makers and international health organisations over the last three decades (Hankivsky & Christoffersen 2008). This is because social conditions which people are born in, live and work play an important role in their health outcomes (WHO 2015). According to Kibesh (1200) social determinants drive health disparities, disrupts the human developmental process and undermine the quality of life and opportunities for people and families (ref). Thus, several theories have been developed over the years to provide in-depth understanding of the social determinants of health and to reduce health inequalities (Hankivsky & Christoffersen, 2008). However, there is still significant
The Social Determinants of Health are certain circumstances that have an effect on the health and overall well being of humans and their own commonalities in terms of financial and societal situations. The reason why it is essential for us to pass beyond considering women’s health and access to health care as individual or biological problems is because women bear unique health needs yet so much health systems are not even acknowledging them. There are situations only females experience that have bad health affects, such as childbirth and pregnancy, although they aren't diseases, physiological and social tactics carry many health jeopardies depend upon health care. Gender based inequalities
Health inequality is part of American life, intertwined and entangled with other social problems; gaps in income, education, age, race and gender. Gaps that social analysts cannot say for sure which factors are cause and which are effect. The unclear outcome is a huge chicken-and-egg puzzle, its solution reaching beyond health care. Because of that, everyday realities often control whether people live in health or in illness, to a ripe old age or early death. Clearly, poverty affects some groups more than others. The relationships between social class and general well being are persistent and troublesome; even in the twenty first century, life looks different for those belonging to upper and middle social classes compared to the lower social classes (Parsons 1942: 7).
Even in the most prosperous countries, people who are less affluent have considerably shorter life expectancies and much more sicknesses than people who are wealthy. Social determinants are considered to be the circumstances in the places where people dwell, gain knowledge of life situations, where someone’s job is, where we have fun, and age which is also included as a social determinant. These social determinants have an effect on a wide array of health risks and outcomes. “These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels, which are themselves influenced by policy choices. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities--the unfair and avoidable
Socioeconomic Disparities and health are growing at a rapid rate throughout the United States of America. To further understand the meaning of Socioeconomic Disparities, Health and Socioeconomic disparities & health, this essay will assist in providing evidence. Disparities can be defined in many ways, of which include ethnic and racial background and class types that deal with it the most. Due to the low income some individuals receive, they have less access to health care and are at risk for major health issues. Although, ethnicity and socioeconomic status should not determine the level of health care one should receive or whether not the individual receives healthcare.
The decision of Brown vs. Board affected education nationally in 1954 by dismantling racism in schools. For this reason, segregation did not produce affirmative results for implementing equal opportunity in society. Citizens of the United States should receive a suitable education regardless of an individual’s race or class. Unfortunately, society is continuing separation because of the injustice of race and the location of poverty stricken individuals by not upholding a certain stature. “Compounding and reinforcing this educational inequality is the startling socioeconomic inequality and residential segregation in the United States” (Rist 4). Isolation of African American, Hispanic, and other minorities are affected because of their lack of prosperity, and it continues to influence society negatively by reducing the equality and opportunity to succeed. Race and class are the main issues of concern affecting education’s infrastructure; to change this misfortune, people will have to stand to fight for proper education within the United States and not depend on the government. Education is being affected by the lack of proper parenting skills, scarce economic resources in school systems, and society’s misinterpretation of individual’s environment affecting learning capabilities.
Socio-economic class or socio-economic status (SES) may refer to mixture of various factors such as poverty, occupation and environment. It is a way of measuring the standard and quality of life of individuals and families in society using social and economic factors that affect health and wellbeing ( Giddens and Sutton, 2013). Cockerham (2007 p75) argues: ‘Social class or socioeconomic status (SES) is the strongest predictor of health, disease causation and longevity in medical sociology.’ Research in the 1990s, (Drever and Whitehead, 1997) found out that people in higher SES are generally healthier, and live longer than those in lower SES.
Race and education are two very important topics that seem to have a very great effect on each other. We live in the land of opportunity, and this land provides “The American Dream”. However, the American Dream must come with equal quality education for all people regardless of their race. Education is one of the major obstacles today that stands in the way of giving everyone the same opportunity that they deserve.
...0). This should be considered when measuring the impact of the evidence illustrated in table 1. While investigation is still in its infancy, researchers are examining the influence of different dimensions of social class and its various associations with health, thus allowing more accurate connections to be made. For example, improvements have been made to the classification process with the introduction of the NS-SEC. Widely regarded as a more precise measure than the Registrar General’s Social Class classification, and now widely used in ONS, the NS-SEC addressed many of the discrepancies associated with the old classification (Donkin et al., 2002b). This classification is present in the evidence illustrated in table 2 and figure 1. Both sets of evidence clearly demonstrate that health inequalities, in relation to social class, have increased in the 21st century.
It is perpetuated by the way wealth, power, and prestige are distributed and passed on from one generation to the next
Hence it is evident that there is a health i!nequity amongst the socioeconomically
Apart from the natural differences, human beings are also differentiated according to socially approved criteria that are upheld. Haralambos, Holborn and Heard (2004:p 1) stated that social stratification is a form of social inequality that represents distinct social groups which are ranked about the other in terms of factors such as prestige and wealth. Social Stratification draws attention to unequal positions occupied by individuals in society. In the modern industrial world the stratification system that has been dominant is a class system. Sociologists such as Karl Marx, Max Weber, Davis and Moore have all added their perspectives to social stratification. Perspectives of social stratification include the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective and Weber’s class stratification. Class stratification proposed by Max Weber best describes social stratification in the English speaking Caribbean. Weber believed that social stratification results for competition for scarce resources in the society. Like Marx, Weber believed that class is based on power and the distribution of that power, Weber proposed that power is not limited to economic dimension but also involves social and political dimensions as well. Empirical studies in the Caribbean have mainly focused on class distinction, status hierarchy and power. Class, status, party and power are dimensions Max Weber class stratification perspective that is most relevant in the English speaking Caribbean.