Social Inequalities and Health PDF

Chapter 5 Social Inequalities and Health a. Race and ethnicity b. Class c. Gender d. Age RACE Some basic concepts Dominant group: a dominant group, sociologically speaking, is nor necessarily numerically larger. What matters in establishing dominance i...

Chapter 5 Social Inequalities and Health a. Race and ethnicity b. Class c. Gender d. Age RACE Some basic concepts Dominant group: a dominant group, sociologically speaking, is nor necessarily numerically larger. What matters in establishing dominance is control or ownership of wealth and political power - especially control of political institutions like legislators, courts, the military and the police  Minority groups: a set of people who because of their physical or cultural characteristics are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential or unequal treatment and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination. Minorities suffer from social exclusion: denied full participation in the life of society  Minorities do not necessarily mean numerical inferiority to the dominant group Stereotypes: inflexible images of racial or cultural groups that are held without regards to whether they are true or not. Prejudice: a attitude that prejudges a person, either positively or negatively, on the basis of real or imagined characteristics (stereotypes) of a group to which that person belongs  Discrimination: refers to the actual unfair treatment of people on the basis of their group membership Institutional discrimination: the systematic exclusion of people from equal access to and participation in a particular institution because of their race, religion or ethnicity Race A person’s biological characteristics such as color of the skin. The notion that biological characteristics can be identified together and grouped is a socially constructed phenomena. What biological characteristic to include? What to exclude? What about variations within a category?  Race: a problematic concept Variations within what is defined as a race makes it hard to classify along a specific physical appearance When distinguishing between people other variables must be accounted for such as religious beliefs, traditions etc. Race thus is an arbitrary division based on physical differences Biological meaning of Race Race means an inbreeding population that develops distinctive physical characteristics that are hereditary. But, human groups have exchanged their genes through mating that it is impossible to identify a “pure” race What physical characteristic one chooses to classify according is arbitrary There is no scientifically valid typology of human race. What counts if what people in a society define as meaningful Racism An ideology based on the belief that an observable, supposedly inherited trait, such as skin color, is a mark of inferiority that justifies discriminatory treatment of people with that trait. Beliefs at the heart of Racism Doctrine of biologically superior and inferior races Whites are generally superior to blacks in intelligence Can IQ tests justify racism? Race Matters Race is not a biologically meaningful concept but that does not mean it is not a significant aspect of life in societies all over the world. Racism leads to enduring prejudices, discrimination and economic exploitation Racism results in inequality and injustice To cope with racism, ‘racial’ groups develop their own subcultures and a strong sense of themselves as distinct groups within the larger society Race and health Medically legitimated knowledge is used to subjugate blacks and justify their unequal status. Ex. Blacks could work longer in the sun because of their thick skin Ex. Between 1932 and 1972 the department of Health in the US conducted a study of syphilis. Medically speaking there was no knowledge of how the disease naturally developed.  To discover the answer to that issue, 400 poor black men were asked to participate in a research and told they would be given treatment – but actually were not. They were promised food and proper burial and were monitored to see how the disease developed.  Recent developments The above was acknowledged as a misassumption about race. Race is a socially ascribed characteristic – not a biological one Even when a disease seems to be restricted to one group such as sickle cell anemia among blacks the disease is responsible for only a small percentage of the group’s morbidity and even less for its mortality. However, race is used and its use undermines the risk of other variables such as gender, social class, etc. Aborigines in Australia Life expectancy is 15 years shorter At birth there is twice as likely that aboriginal babies have low birth weight Fetal death rate of 14.4 per 1000 compared to 6.8 among non- indigenous births Infant death rate ranges from 2 to 4 times more More infectious and parasitic diseases Causes Medical deprivation due to lack of economic resources Doctors are not willing to go to remote areas Other social variables including income, education…. Aborigines have a harsher experience of working life. They are exposed to more environmental hazards More pollution Higher risks of occupational injury Racial Bias in Drug Trials Racial groups are systematically excluded from clinical trials In one instance the Rockefeller foundation did fund a research aimed at the study of the black but the research purpose was to identify the ‘germ of laziness which is supposed to infect ‘negroes’ If racial elements are important and if they are not being accounted for in medicine and drug trials then an attempt at curing individuals of a particular race is not behind made.