Difference Between Health And Social Class - 1333 Words

Variations in health and inequality have always been the subject of debates and studies throughout the last century; explanations varied from: our lifestyles, our ethnicity, and even our gender. So why after 100 years of studying this worldwide phenomenon, and producing detailed statistical evidence, with well-informed debates are we still living in a society where inequality in health still exists? One would expect with so much progress in medicine, vast improvements in our living/housing standards; raised awareness and understanding of issues relating to our cultural and genetic profiles, that this inequality would be on par with how society has overcome other inequalities including race and gender. Have we done enough by trying to explain this in terms of the Genetics, Cultural, or Material variants? Or are they all correct, and this kind of inequality in our society is something that is inevitable? Health and ill health on the basis of Cultural/Behaviour is explained as having direct relationships with social class and how their actions determine their health. According to (Bourdieu 1984) Life expectancy amongst people in high social class standing was because of their â€Å"inclination towards a cult of health-consciousness and their appearance of the body: the body as a thing displayed to others†¦and a high value being placed on moderate drinking and careful diet.† What Bourdeau is suggesting is that our lifestyle is determined by our culture, and seems to be suggestingShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream and Class Separation Essay example626 Words   |  3 PagesClass Separation lowers a person’s opportunity to achieve the American dream. As the separation between class increases, there is less possibility of achieving the American dream. Class separation has been around for a while. The higher class has higher prospect of achieving the American dream whe reas the lower class does not. The separation between the class and its affect on achieving the American dream is demonstrated in the novel Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, a political cartoon, The Great GAPsbyRead MoreHow Social Class Affects The Mental Health Of The Upper Class Essay1102 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Mental health issues can affect anyone at any point in their life, but does your social class have anything to do with the type of mental health issue you have? There have been studies that focus on poverty and how that affects the mental health of the lower class, but how does social status affect the mental health of the upper class? There is a need to see how social status affects the mental health of the upper class, so we can compare it to that of the middle and lower classes.Read MoreSociology M2-D1803 Words   |  3 PagesM2 - Use different sociological perspectives to discuss patterns and trends of health and illness in two different social groups D1 - Evaluate different sociological explanations for patterns and trends of health and illness in two different social groups In this assignment I hope to effectively discuss and evaluate the patterns and trends associated with health and illness within the higher and lower social classes. I am going to do this by discussing and evaluating the following explanationsRead MoreInequalities in Health Essay1272 Words   |  6 Pagesname] 11 Inequalities of Health Sociology Gemma McCann Inequalities of health Gemma McCann Word count 1310 Within this assignment I am going to explore the sociological perspectives of Marxism and Functionalism and a brief view on interactionism in relation to health and inequalities in health. I will explore sociological explanations for these inequalities focusing on structural materialist, artefact, social selection and cultural explanations. â€Å"Health is a state of complete physicalRead MoreEssay on Inequalities in Health1301 Words   |  6 Pagesin Health A lot of characteristics of different social classes have changed over the years as society has changed, and the divisions between different classes are perhaps not as clear as they used to be. But it is just as possible to find hundreds of ways in which the lifestyles, behaviour, opportunities and judgments of people are still greatly influenced by the social class they belong to. There are clear differences shown in the relationships between health Read MoreThe Black Report1284 Words   |  6 PagesThe Black Report There are considerable health inequalities amongst Britain’s social classes. Health is formed by socio-economic, political and environmental factors; these elements shape inequalities and influence the health of various social groups in Britain. Health inequalities is the term used to describe the consistent recurring differences of the health complaints involving the social classes of Britain. These differences were first highlighted by Sir Douglas Black in a researchRead MoreThe Battle with Social Class773 Words   |  4 PagesSocial class is a system of social stratification, the hierarchy creates specific types of social inequalities. Social inequality refers to the existence of social inequalities created such as ownership, types of occupation that creates differences in wealth, income and power, while social stratification refers to the existence of social groups. Class can be arranged to economic factors such as income, education, wealth and other factors at work. Poverty remains high and could argue that true povertyRead MoreSocial Class And Its Relevance1702 Words   |  7 Pagesbeen an ongoing debate about social class and its relevance in contemporary society. Marx’s social class theory was relating to man and his access to the means of production. He stated there are two classes the bourgeoisie, those who own the means of the production and the proletariat who only possess their labour power to sell ( Ollman, 1976). Pakulski and Waters argued that social is dead, due to changes in economic and social structures along with adaptions in social identity and belonging (1996)Read MoreSocial Stratification1648 Words   |  7 PagesSocial stratification defines any structure of inequality that persists in a society across generations. Social strata are groups of people — who belong to the same social class or have the same social level. Social strata are organised in a vertical hierarchy. In the early societies people shared a common social standing. In the hunting and gathering societies there was little stratification: men hunted for meat while women gathered edible plants. The general welfare of the society depended on theRead MoreInequalities in health and illness1511 Wor ds   |  7 Pagesinequalities in health and illness. Evaluate sources of evidence with regards to class, gender, ethnicity and age There are many different reasons why health inequalities exist due to many factors one extremely important one is social class. Socio-economic inequalities have been researched in the UK for many years. In the early 20th century the government started an occupational census which gave the researchers the opportunity to examine health outcomes of social class. The five class scheme was introduced