potential links between social inequalities and the health of the population
These are a few potential links between social inequalities and the health of the population: income and wealth distribution, unemployment, the ageing society, gender and health, mental illness and suicide and disability and dysfunction. I am going to discuss each of these and see the health impact on people in each group.
Income and wealth distribution: comparing the differences in levels of income and wealth between different social groups help measure inequalities in society. The income is a regular flow of money earned by someone working or from someone’s benefits, pension or their savings. Wealth is defined on property, shares or other belongings that could be sold to make an income. This is very hard to measure accurately and to define. There is not date on income levels that are both easily available and reliable. Date from the government has shown that the income and wealth of the population is distributed unfairly. A massive report by the labour government showed that in 2010 the richest 10percent of the population are now 100percent better off the poorest. Since 1980 over the last 30years Britain has become more unequal than ever before. It is a fact that there have been a number of major studies alongside major reviews of the social factors of health, which have confirmed a clear link between socio-economic background such as income or occupation and health. The most recent of these, the Marmot Review, found that in England, people living in the poorest neighbourhoods will, on average, die seven years earlier than people living in the richest neighbourhoods (Marmot, 2010). These health inequalities are not just limited to life expectancy but also infant mortality, mental health, physical health and so on.
Unemployment, especially long term unemployment is closely linked with issues to do with poverty. Rowntree’s concept of the poverty line is linked with the state benefits and why they are kept so low. Benefits are a direct cost of taxpayers and
Income and wealth distribution: comparing the differences in levels of income and wealth between different social groups help measure inequalities in society. The income is a regular flow of money earned by someone working or from someone’s benefits, pension or their savings. Wealth is defined on property, shares or other belongings that could be sold to make an income. This is very hard to measure accurately and to define. There is not date on income levels that are both easily available and reliable. Date from the government has shown that the income and wealth of the population is distributed unfairly. A massive report by the labour government showed that in 2010 the richest 10percent of the population are now 100percent better off the poorest. Since 1980 over the last 30years Britain has become more unequal than ever before. It is a fact that there have been a number of major studies alongside major reviews of the social factors of health, which have confirmed a clear link between socio-economic background such as income or occupation and health. The most recent of these, the Marmot Review, found that in England, people living in the poorest neighbourhoods will, on average, die seven years earlier than people living in the richest neighbourhoods (Marmot, 2010). These health inequalities are not just limited to life expectancy but also infant mortality, mental health, physical health and so on.
Unemployment, especially long term unemployment is closely linked with issues to do with poverty. Rowntree’s concept of the poverty line is linked with the state benefits and why they are kept so low. Benefits are a direct cost of taxpayers and
Bibliography: http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/inequality-income-social-problems-full.pdf http://info.wirral.nhs.uk/document_uploads/Short-Reports/Unemployment-2%20Sept%2012.pdf National Statistics Online, 21.10.09 National Statistic Online 26.09.08 Mind Fact Sheet, March 2008 Leonard Cheshire Disability (17.01.08) Disability Poverty in the UK Stretch Whitehouse, 2010, Health and Social Care Level 3 BETC