Evidence for inequality Flashcards
Callender and Jackson - what were their findings for their study about university and class?
attitude to debt was important in deciding whether or not to go to university
the working class students were 5x less likely to apply than most debt tolerable students (typically middle class)
department for education (2022/23) - pieces of evidence
45% of pupils achieved grade 5 and above in GCSE English and Maths, compared to 25% of disadvantaged (FSM) pupils
avg. attainment 8 scores of all pupils was 46, compared to 35 for FSM pupils
KS4 disadvantage gap index has widened compared to the 2021/22 from 3.8 to 3.9 - highest since 2011
department for education (2022/23) - explanation and interpretation of evidence
Bordieu (neo-marxist) - middle class children ‘just fit in’ with middle class schools as they are at home in a middle class environment - they dont need to do anything else other than be themselves at school to fit in
Bordieu:
- material capital - socioeconomic backgrounds impact on performance levels in education
- social capital - connections within your social circle that afford you advantages
- cultural capital - expectations/ aspirations connected to family experience of education, broader knowledge of wider cultures beyond own
HESA (2022/23) student data - pieces of evidence
only 1% of people from families that have never worked and are long-term unemployed go to university
27% of university enrolements are from higher managerial and professional occupations
HESA (2022/23) student data - explanation and interpretation of evidence
the highest proportion of undergraduate enrolements were students from middle-class families
callender and Jackson’s study on university and class
Life expectancy - Office for national statistics 2023 - health inequality
England - life expectancy is lowest in blackpool (73 for males and 78 for females) and highest for males in Hart (83 years) and highest for females in Kensington and Chelsea (86 years)
there is a north south divide when it comes to health and life expectancy - the top 10 regions for life expectancy for both men and women are located in the south
Life Expectancy - ONS 2023 - explanation and interpretation of evidence - health inequality
not found this yet
Marmot Review (2010) - pieces of evidence - health inequality
close link between where you are on the socioeconomic ladder and your health, which he called the social gradient of health
202,000 fewer premature deaths each year if everyone in Britain had the low level of mortality of those with university education
the cause is inequality in the conditions in which people are born, live, grow, work and age, and inequalities in power, money and resources that give rise to this inequality
Marmot Review (2020) - 10 years on - key findings - health inequality
for the poorest 10% of women, life expectancy has declines since 2010
the amount of time people spend in poor health has increased since 2010
there is a housing crisis and homelessness, which means that people have insufficient money to lead a healthy life
mortality rates are increasing for women and men ages 45-49, which could be related to ‘deaths of despair’ (suicide, drugs and alcohol)
what are some of the reasons suggested by Marmot for this social gradient in health? - health inequality
work does not pay well enough to live a healthy lifestyle - over 80% of households with no income had at least 1 adult working
benefits are not generous enough to reduce health inequalities
Dying from inequality - socioeconomic disadvantage and suicidal behaviour - Samaritans 2017
income, unmanageable debt, unemployment, poor housing conditions are some of the socioeconomic factors contributing to high suicide rates
there is a lack of consistent access to good suicide prevention support for people with no fixed address
The New right perspective of health inequalities
the explanation that health inequality is due to the behaviour and culture of those experiencing poor health.
e.g. working class people may eat the wrong food and drink too much (little evidence to support this tho)
people have a choice of how to live their lives and not be a part of the underclass
What evidence shows that behavioural and cultural factors are less important than structural and material factors
The Black Report - behavioural differences could only account for around 25% of social class inequalities
most sociologists do not take the view of behavioural differences, and favour structural and material explanations
marxist explanations of health inequality
mainly looks at social determinants
capitalism - low wages - inadequate diet and housing - lasting impact on life expectancy
medical profession and science serving the needs of capitalism - controlling access to healthcare and profiting from illness - health industry worth £220 billion in 2018
however, this is criticised as doctors and nurses aim to help patients, rather than serve capitalism
What did Marx say about work
work is alienating (repetitive and unfulfilling) - causing workers to feel no sense of satisfaction from their work - this can lead to feelings of powerlessness and stress, potentially leading to mental illness
Weberian explanations of inequality
professional and managerial occupational classes have more favourable work conditions, so have more power
class impacts access to healthcare and availability of private healthcare
social closure can stop working class reaching higher paid positions - impacting wage
wealth and income inequality
