How Has Your Social Location Impacted Your Life

An individual’s social location which includes their social class, sex, gender, race, and ethnicity impacts every aspect of their lives. My family’s social location has positively impacted me throughout my life and provided me with the opportunities that lead me to where I am today. I grew up in a middle class household; my father was an engineer and my mother was a nurse so they were able to buy a house in a safe and rural neighborhood in Massachusetts. Since my parents were financially stable I had opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities such as horseback riding and dance. I lived in a community which was primary white, middle class families. As I grew up I did not feel as though my race and ethnicity impacted me personally, but I have realized that I benefited from my race and ethnicity because I was not subjected to prejudice or discrimination. My family was mostly egalitarian
A family or individual’s socioeconomic status includes their income, occupation and education level (Seccombe, 2015, p. 58). Social class has a large impact on people’s health, education, stress, and relationships. People living in poverty or low income households have fewer health care options, and sometimes no health care at all. Lack of healthcare leads to lower life expectancy, higher sickness and death rates, malnutrition and poor prenatal care (Seccombe, 2015, p. 64). Social class also affects people’s education because people living in low income households have fewer educational resources, higher dropout rates, and are less likely to attend college (Seccombe, 2015, p. 65). Social class has an extremely large impact on people’s overall mental health and emotional wellbeing. Families who struggle with financial hardships are more likely to experience stress, mental health problems, abuse, addiction and many other conflicts which damage