Sociology Chapter 5: Social Inequalities and Health

Social Inequalities and Health: Race and Ethnicity

• A dominant group is not necessarily numerically larger, but exercises control over wealth, political power, and institutions.
• Minority groups are singled out for differential or unequal treatment, leading to social exclusion and denial of full participation in society.
• Stereotypes are inflexible images of racial or cultural groups, while prejudice is an attitude that prejudges individuals based on group membership.
• Discrimination refers to unfair treatment based on group membership, and institutional discrimination involves the systematic exclusion of people from equal access to institutions.

Race: A Biological and Social Concept

• Race is a socially constructed concept based on biological characteristics such as skin color, but it is problematic due to variations within racial categories and the arbitrary nature of classification.
• The biological meaning of race refers to an inbreeding population with distinctive physical characteristics, but human gene exchange makes it impossible to identify a "pure" race.
• Racism is an ideology that justifies discriminatory treatment based on supposedly inherited traits, and is rooted in beliefs of biological superiority and inferiority.

Racism and Health

• Racism leads to enduring prejudices, discrimination, and economic exploitation, resulting in inequality and injustice.
• Medically legitimated knowledge has been used to subjugate racial minorities and justify their unequal status, as seen in the Tuskegee syphilis study.
• Recent developments acknowledge that race is a socially ascribed characteristic, not a biological one, and that it undermines the risk of other variables such as gender, social class, etc.

Aboriginal Health Disparities

• Aboriginal Australians have a 15-year shorter life expectancy, higher fetal and infant death rates, and more infectious and parasitic diseases.
• Causes of these disparities include medical deprivation, lack of economic resources, and exposure to environmental hazards and occupational injury.

Racial Bias in Drug Trials

• Racial groups are systematically excluded from clinical trials, leading to inadequate representation in medical research.
• Historical examples, such as the Rockefeller foundation's research, demonstrate the racist motivations behind medical studies.
• The lack of racial representation in drug trials undermines the effectiveness of medical treatment for racial minorities.

This quiz covers social inequalities and health, focusing on race, ethnicity, class, gender, and age. Understand the concepts of dominant groups and minority groups in sociology.