BSS- Social class + Health inequalities

Question 1

Define Health inequality.

Answer 1

• Systematic and potentially changeable differences in one or more aspects of health across populations
  > socially, economically, demographically, or geographically’

Question 2

Define Social inequality.

Answer 2

• “Differences in income, resources, power and status within and between societies.
  > Such inequalities are maintained by those in powerful positions via institutions and social processes”

Question 3

Define classism.

Answer 3

• Prejudice against people belonging to a particular social class

Question 4

What did the black report of 1980 demonstrate?

Answer 4

• Ill-health and death are unequally distributed among the population of Britain.
  > not mainly attributable to failings in the NHS, but rather to many other social inequalities such as income, education, housing, diet, employment, and conditions of work.

Question 5

What are the 4 explanations the black report used to explain the differences in health by social class?

Answer 5

1- Aretfact explanation = How social class and health were measured wasn’t valid

2- Social/natural selection explanation = healthy individuals may be more likely to experience upward social mobility.

3- Materialist explanation = material deprivations such as poverty, low incomes, poor housing conditions, pollution at work shape the experiences of health.

4- Cultural/behavioural explanation = something about the culture of lower social classes that is unhealthy.

Question 6

How is poverty related to social class?

Answer 6

• Social class is determined by education, income, power and occupation levels.
  > It affects families and shapes lives and opportunities.
  > Poor families have less availability and less access to resources and opportunities, and often live in deprived areas with less opportunities for occupation, education and income

Question 7

Being in a higher social class leads to..

Answer 7

• Better health!

Question 8

What is the inverse care law?

Answer 8

• People who most need health care are least likely to receive it.

Question 9

Define social determinants of health.
Name a couple social determinants of health.

Answer 9

Question 10

What is social stratification?

Answer 10

• A system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy e.g. caste, social class

Question 11

What is social mobility?

Answer 11

• Change in position in a social hierarchy

Question 12

EXPLANATION OF SOCIAL CLASS:

What was Karl Marx theory?

Answer 12

• Defined by the relationship to property and the means of production.
  > It’s not a position or rank in society.
• Bourgeoisie (capitalists) versus proletariat (wage-workers)
• Means of production are owned by the capitalist class, who use them to produce goods and services for profit.
• The working class, or proletariat, owns no means of production and must sell their labor to the capitalist class in order to survive.
• Class struggle is a fundamental element of capitalist societies.

Question 13

EXPLANATION OF SOCIAL CLASS:

What was Max Webber theory?

Answer 13

• Arranged in a hierarchical pattern from top to bottom (e.g. upper, middle and working class)
• Interplay between class, status and power.
  > These different dimensions of social stratification interact with each other to create a more complex class structure than Marx’s theory suggests
  -Stratification is based on more than ownership of capital

Question 14

How does social class lead to inequality?

Answer 14

People in higher social classes have greater control over various resources:

1- Eduation
2- Employment conditions
3- Income + wealth
4- Health

Question 15

What are the 5 theories that explain health inequalities?

Answer 15

• Cultural or behavioural explanations (this is the lifestyle approach to health)
• Materialist explanations
• Marxist explanations
• Interactionist explanations
• Psycho-social explanations

Question 16

Describe the Cultural or behavioural explanations to health inequalities.

Answer 16

• Differences in health are the result of the lifestyles and the cultural choices made by some individuals or groups in the population.

> Working-class people prefer less healthy lifestyles and make wrong choices regarding smoking, alcohol, diet and exercise compared with the middle-class.
Middle-class culture is more health conscious and people are better informed about diet and the avoidance of risky behaviours.

Question 17

What is a critique of cultural or behavioural explanations?

Answer 17

• Behavioural choices we make as individuals are rooted in our social and economic circumstances.
  > People born into more advantageous situations find it easier to adopt healthy lifestyles and give up unhealthy behaviour.

Question 18

Describe the materialist explanation to health inequalities.

Answer 18

• Poor health is related to unequal economic and social organization of the society and the distribution of income and wealth

Question 19

Describe the marxists theory to health inequalities.

Answer 19

• Capitalist economy causes poverty; = poverty causes ill health:
• Unequal distribution of wealth and income leads to an unequal distribution of health and resources required to maintain health;
  = social gradient in health

Question 20

Describe the interactionist theory to health inequalities.

Answer 20

• Middle class patients given more time, concern and attention than working class patients in consultations
  > micro-interactions maintain structural inequality.

Question 21

Describe the psycho-social explanation to health inequalities.

Answer 21

• Psychological reaction to social inequality contributes to genesis of illnesses.
  > Perception and experience of economic and social inequality produces health inequalities in rich societies

Question 22

In order to decrease health inequalities what needs to be addressed?

Answer 22

• Social inequalities.