Chapter 4 Flashcards
(31 cards)
Social Class
A position in a system of structured inequality based on the unequal distribution of power, wealth, income and status
*Stems from the social structure
Social Class (Marx)
Class position as a product of people’s relationship to the means of production in the Capitalist economy
Social Class (Weber)
Examined social position via class, status & party (economic well-being, prestige & power/influence)
Life chances
Your opportunities for educational & occupational attainment & social mobility
3 Social Classes in Canada
- Capitalist
- Middle Class
- Working Class
Class Inequality
- Gap between rich & poor continues to increase
- Economic power concentrated among the elite, who also have tremendous prestige & political influence
- 3 million Canadians live in poverty
WhiteHall Studies
- Beginning in 1978, longitudinal study of British civil servants to observe changes in Health status, biological measures & health behaviour
- Highly paid, high-status employees had better health than lower-paid, lower-status ones
- amount of control in one’s job or one’s position in the social hierarchy
Gradient in Health (Whitehall Studies)
every employment grade was associated with a change in health status from bottom to top
12 Determinants of Health
- Aboriginal status
- early life
- education
- employment & working conditions
- food security
- gender
- health-care services
- housing
- Income and its distribution
- social safety net
- social exclusion
- Unemployment & employment security
Income, Neighbourhood & Health
- Income also plays a role in where people live, which can profoundly impact well-being
- Neighbourhood of residence is associated with social class via the varied cost of housing & other expenses
- Studies of morbidity & mortality rates show a relationship between neighbourhood & health outcomes
Class Inequality & Health Outcomes
- Higher class people use money status knowledge & power to avoid health risks & minimize consequences of disease
- People of lower classes have fewer opportunities to avoid health risks
- Social class is a predictor of morbidity & mortality from various diseases
Respiratory Health (Example)
- Research shows that consistent exposure to chemicals negatively affects respiratory health
- 6000 people who use cleaning products were tracked over 20 years
- Women who regularly used cleaning products had lung function so poor it was comparable to 1-pack/day smoker
Health Inequality (Biomedical Explanation)
Health status determined by biological makeup/genetic predispositions which vary across social groups
*Draws upon Social Darwinism
Health Inequalities (Behavioural Explanation)
Attributes health inequalities to health behaviour & risk-taking
- Poor health is the result of individual choices
- Blames individuals for their poor health outcomes, rather than social and environmental influences
Materialist/ Neo-materialist explanations
Focus on access to resources & the influence of social, economic & political factors on the distribution of health & illness
*Considers how advantages & disadvantages accumulate over the life course due to economic & social conditions
Psychosocial explanation
Focuses on impact of hierarchy & social exclusion
Social comparison
Low self esteem & stress result from low status & limited access to material resources
Social capital
Social network & interdependence provides access to support, resources & opportunities –> sense of security & ability to cope with troubles
Empirical
describes observations or research that is based on evidence drawn from experience. Empirical observations or research are therefore distinguished from something based only on theoretical knowledge or on some other kind of abstract thinking process
Ruling Class
A disputed term used to highlight the point that the upper class in society has political power as a result of its economic wealth. The term is often used interchangeably with upper class
Social structure
The recurring patterns of social interaction through which people are related to each other, such as social institutions and social groups
Food security
A state that exists when all people, at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life
neo-liberalism
Economic policies and ideology that advocate a free market for the production and distribution of resources, an enhanced role for the private sector and a reduction of government involvement in the economy
Economic rationalism
Term used to describe a political philosophy based on small government and market-oriented policies such as deregulation, privatization, reduced government spending and lower taxation
