Labor, Social Capital, and Health; an Empirical Analysis
Julian LaFarge
Labor Force and Employment
06/07/2012
Employment, Social Capital, and Health:
An Empirical Analysis
The United States labor force has been undergoing massive changes in over the past 30 or so years. More people are working as the population continues to rise, but even more so people with more diverse backgrounds and demographics are entering the work force or clamoring for jobs, as how the economy is currently structured seems to predict that individuals who would like to enter the labor force won’t be able to. Sociologists White and Cunneen contend that “structural unemployment and underemployment, privatization of state services and withdrawal of income support” (White and Cunneen) inherently exist in neo-liberal ideologies, making this disparity between the employed and the unemployed seemingly unavoidable. With this increase in size and diversity of the labor force and the accompanying restrictions to entry, the effects of employment merit analysis. One could possibly make the argument that of employment 's causal relationships, perhaps none are more important than employment 's affect on one 's health. Indeed, “occupational conditions have consequences for physical health outcomes” (Wickrama Lorenz 363). Further, “A central theoretical proposition of sociology states that social structural positions have dramatic effects on life chances” (Link Lennon 1351). However, one is left wondering how is this possible, that is, how exactly is it that whether or not one is employed is able to influence one 's health? One possible mechanism through which employment influences health is the relatively new sociological concept of social capital. Robert Putnam writes, “Mounting evidence suggests that people whose lives are rich in social capital cope better with traumas and fight illness more effectively” (289). His 2000
Labor Force and Employment
06/07/2012
Employment, Social Capital, and Health:
An Empirical Analysis
The United States labor force has been undergoing massive changes in over the past 30 or so years. More people are working as the population continues to rise, but even more so people with more diverse backgrounds and demographics are entering the work force or clamoring for jobs, as how the economy is currently structured seems to predict that individuals who would like to enter the labor force won’t be able to. Sociologists White and Cunneen contend that “structural unemployment and underemployment, privatization of state services and withdrawal of income support” (White and Cunneen) inherently exist in neo-liberal ideologies, making this disparity between the employed and the unemployed seemingly unavoidable. With this increase in size and diversity of the labor force and the accompanying restrictions to entry, the effects of employment merit analysis. One could possibly make the argument that of employment 's causal relationships, perhaps none are more important than employment 's affect on one 's health. Indeed, “occupational conditions have consequences for physical health outcomes” (Wickrama Lorenz 363). Further, “A central theoretical proposition of sociology states that social structural positions have dramatic effects on life chances” (Link Lennon 1351). However, one is left wondering how is this possible, that is, how exactly is it that whether or not one is employed is able to influence one 's health? One possible mechanism through which employment influences health is the relatively new sociological concept of social capital. Robert Putnam writes, “Mounting evidence suggests that people whose lives are rich in social capital cope better with traumas and fight illness more effectively” (289). His 2000
Cited: of Personality and Social Psychology 51.6 (1986): 1173-182. Print. Farr, James. "Social Capital: A Conceptual History." Political Theory 32.1 (2004): 6-33. Print. Ferlander, S. "The Importance of Different Forms of Social Capital for Health." Acta Sociologica 50.2 (2007): 115-28 Fernandez, Roberto M., Emilio J. Castilla, and Paul Moore. "Social Capital at Work: Networks and Employment at a Phone Center." American Journal of Sociology 105.5 (2000): 1288- Hyyppä, Markku T. Healthy Ties Social Capital, Population Health and Survival. Dordrecht: Springer, 2010 Planning." American Journal of Sociology 98.6 (1993): 1351. Print. Thesis. Princeton University, 2006. Print. Kawachi, I., B. P. Kennedy, K. Lochner, and D. Prothrow-Stith. "Social Capital, Income Inequality, and Mortality." American Journal of Public Health 87.9 (1997): 1491-498. (2006): 729-34. Print. Parks-Yancy, R. "The Effects of Social Group Membership and Social Capital Resources on Careers." Journal of Black Studies 36.4 (2006): 515-45 Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000 Occupational Conditions to Physical Health through Marital, Social, and Intrapersonal Processes." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 38.4 (1997): 363-75. Print.