lesson d : health and inequality Flashcards
what did bottero find about rates of morbidity?
rates of morbidity are higher for the working class, including cancer, infections, coronary heart disease, strokes and accidents
what did marmot find about health and the class hierachy?
noticed a health gradient whereby the lower down the hierarchy a person was, the worse their health was
what were the four reasons for class-related health as found by the “health divide”?
- statistical artefact
- self-selection
- cultural differences
- material differences
what is the statistical artefact explanation to explain health and class?
demonstrated a clear statistical link between mortality, ill health and social class
why is the statistical artefact explanation criticised?
- illsley : criticised report for concentrating on relative inequality but not recognising absolute improvements in health of most
- carr-hill : death certificates often have incorrectly categorised professions, so data inaccurate
- scambler : marxist. criticised measurement of social class. ignores massive differences in wealth and power between ruling and working class
what is the self-selection explanation to explain health and class?
social class position is an outcome of health status
why is the self-selection explanation criticised?
shaw : argued against the fact that social class is outcome of health status. evidence shows that those from poorer backgrounds are faced with a range of economic, social and employment factors which combine to create ill-health. from this pov, class shapes health not other way round
what is the cultural factors explanation to explain health and class?
people from lower social classes more likely to engage in risky or unhealthy lifestyles having impact on long-term health eg. smoking and eating fatty foods
what is the materialist explanation to explain health and class?
main influence on persons health is structure of society and resulting conditions of life which different groups experience. poorer a person, less chance they have of good health
which sociologists support the materialist explanations?
engels : ill health direct outcome of capitalists pursuit of profit. dangerous work, long hours and low pay contributed to early death of lower class workers
lobstein : found healthy food cost less in more affluent area of london. unhealthy foods also cheaper, but poorer people have to pay more
what is the link between health and gender?
- women have higher rates of illness and are less active than men
- women live to 82years, males 78years
- males commit suicide 3x more than females
- 80% of alcohol dependents are male
what are the explanations for gender differences in health?
- artefact
- genetic
what is the artefact explanation to explain health and gender?
macintyre found men more likely than women to over-rate their symptoms in comparison to a clinical observer. real rates of illness for women are higher than official figures indicate
what is the genetic explanation to explain health and gender?
social causation is main explanation for gender inequalities which focus on three social factors :
1. risk : young males have higher death rate due to risky behaviour (lyng’s study)
2. social deprivation : miller & glendinning - women receive 80% of males wages so rely upon state benefits, results in poor health
3. female roles : popay & bartley - domestic labour has health consequences, labour conditions of home can be compared to factory conditions eg. noise, dust etc. women carried out 64hrs each week on domestic tasks
what is the link between health and ethnicity?
- asians suffer from highest level of heart disease, AC from strokes
- em groups suffer from racism, causing stress
- em women have higher rate of poverty & deprivation leading to poor housing, hazardous employment, lowering health
- nettleton : study of asian women found social isolation, fear, racist attacks & cold and damp housing to be main causes of poor physical and mental health
