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Essay Unit 10 - Sociological Perspectives assignment 2
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fully refrenced assignment 2 for unit 10 , received distinction second part of this unit includes all criteria and perspectives
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Health and Social CareUnit 10 Sociological Perspectives Assignment 2
12/05/2021
Introduction
In this report I will be examining how health and social care delivery is affected by sociological issues.
Factors such as age, gender, race and ethnicity, geographical region, disability and social class can all
affect mortality and disease. I will be explaining these inequalities and the impact they have on
groups in society, particularly focusing on female and BAME groups.
I will also examine the use of statistical data which is collected by the government organisations,
such as the Office of National Statistics. For this study I have researched data for suicide rates in the
UK. I will show how statistics are used to provide effective services for the population locally and
nationally. I will also make suggestions on the importance of data and how it could be used to make
further improvements to the quality of life and wellbeing of all citizens.
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,P5
Explain how social inequality affects different groups in society
Social inequality is defined as the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social
positions or statuses within a group or society. Social inequality refers to the unequal distribution of
resources such as power, wealth and income, opportunities (related, for instance to health,
education and employment) and the unfairness people experience as a result. Social class, gender,
ethnicity and age are all reasons of inequality in modern British society.
Intersectionality is defined as the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of
discrimination (such as racism and sexism) combine and overlap one another, particularly in the
experiences of marginalized individuals or groups. It makes hardship more difficult to get out of and
therefore leads to more long-term chronic ill health.
Health inequality can be defined as differences in health status or in the distribution of health
determinants between population groups. E.g., differences in mortality rates between people of
different social classes. Inequity is the systematic, socially produced and unfair injustice in health.
Because of health inequality, a person living in a deprived area can have a shorter life-expectancy
and higher likelihood of developing illness and disease than a person living in a less deprived area.
Some factors that create health inequities are poor health, literacy, gender, access to healthcare,
unemployment, occupation, education, government policy, socioeconomic status, social isolation,
racism, discrimination and geographic location.
Racism creates health inequities because it tends to exclude groups of disadvantaged from society,
this causes particular groups to have unequal treatment because of racism and discrimination,
people might be denied access to certain facilities that we have access to, creating an inequity.
Therefore, coming from a BAME background and living in a deprived area is an indicator for ill
health.
People experience inequality in terms of seven factors. I examine these in more detail below:
1. Social class
2. Race and ethnicity
3. Age
4. Sex
5. Disability
6. Gender
7. Geographical region
1. Social class
Social class is one’s position in a system of stratification based on access to resources such as wealth,
property, power, occupation, income and prestige. It is divided into three classes, upper, middle and
working class. This is present in all societies and based on any criteria important to a given society
e.g., race, gender, religion and education. Social inequality can lead to social stratification and an
inequal distribution of wealth and power. (sagepub, 2017)
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,Measuring social class: Sociologists and the Office for National Statistics use the National Statistics
socio-economic classification which divides the UK population into 8 social classes based on factors
such as whether their jobs involve the exercise of power over others and their earnings. Those in
manual or blue-collar work have traditionally been seen as working class while those in non-manual,
managerial, professional and white-collar jobs have traditionally been categorised as middle class.
(apa, 2020).
Individuals from working class families are more likely to suffer ill health as it is relative to lower
educational achievement, unemployment and low wages. Areas of social deprivation usually have
higher unemployment rates and where working-class people are more likely to live in social housing
than middle or upper class people.
2. Race and ethnicity
Race is a socially constructed classification system that assigns distinct categories based on physical
characteristics. The categories and physical characteristics that define them change over time and
place. The dominant group is the group that experiences and holds the most power, advantage and
privilege in society. The minority groups aren’t defined by the numerical minority but the oppressed
by society or dominant groups. This title is involuntary, and the individuals are excluded from full
society participation and spatially isolated. The group characteristics overshadow individual
characteristics.
Race has caused certain groups to be oppressed and marginalized throughout history, in particular
the Holocaust and Slavery. It makes assumptions based on narrow judgements about physical and
biological attributes. It has been used to segregate and make divides between people and nations.
The UK is a multicultural society and there is evidence that some ethnic minority groups experience
inequalities in health and illness. Limited information available on ethnicity an illness, partly because
of the complex makeup of ethnic groups in the UK and the difficulty of making generalisations across
these. However, statistics that exist suggest:
Most ethnic minority groups have higher mortality rates than white majority. People from Afro-
Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds are all more likely to experience and die
from tuberculosis, liver cancer or diabetes compared with the white population. However, apart
from liver cancer, all ethnic minority groups have lower levels of death from cancer than the white
population.
Ethnic Monitoring questionnaires up until the 1980’s Britain often showed three categories of race:
Black, White or Other. Nowadays diversity is more widely recognized, and people can have multiple
race and ethnicities. Due to migration, there are more diverse populations living in the UK and a
growing number of people of dual and multiple heritage.
(livescience, n,d,)
Country of Birth is also an important factor in determining the health outcomes for individuals.
Country of birth is independent of race or ethnicity, e.g., white people who are born in the
Caribbean.
British people of Indian and Pakistani origin are more likely to die from heart disease compared with
other ethnic groups. People of African Caribbean origin are much more likely to suffer this from
sickle cell disease. (Britannica, 2020). Members of minority ethnic groups are more likely to define
themselves as having poor health than the majority population (Sproston and Mindell 2006).
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, 3. Age
Age differs from other protected characteristic because everyone has it and it changes constantly.
Age discrimination works for old and young, so all are protected. There are studies that say older
people should be enjoying life but are suffering discrimination, such as unconscious bias. The lower a
person’s social status, the more likely they are to enter old age in poor health and die younger than
people from higher social classes. Old people find there are barriers to accessing healthcare, such as
mobility and medical professionals saying their condition is ‘normal for someone of my age’. Old
people complaint about not being taken seriously or listened to.
Age discrimination complaints are higher than race or sex discrimination complaints. Feminists argue
patriarchy is the cause of age inequality. Feminists believe when looking at women and inequality,
factors such as age will affect their power and status, older women face more inequalities than older
men. Factors such as financial stability and social connections have an impact on ill health in old age.
Types of ageism:
Benign ageism that involves subtle prejudice arising out of fear and anxiety about getting old.
Malignant ageism that is a harmful stereotyping process in which old people are regarded as
worthless.
Positive ageism based on belief that elderly need special care, treatment or economic assistance.
Institutional ageism is when policies and practices of an organisation discriminate against certain age
groups unintentionally e.g., retirement age policies. (Age UK, 2017)
4. Sex
Gender inequity is due to discrimination as many women do not experience the same opportunity,
support and access to the same things as men. The reduced the health status of women. Some
cultures have norms and traditions that are healthier than others. If individuals follow the cultural
rules or expectations, they may experience lesser health. (equalityhumanrights.com, 2021)
Certain health and wellbeing issues are more commonly associated with one gender. For example,
dementia, depression and arthritis are more common in women, while men are more prone to lung
cancer, cardiovascular disease and suicide (Broom, 2012). The popular biomedical interpretation
would argue that variations in health and lifespan can be accounted for by inherent biological
differences between men and women. This has led to gender-specific medicine using scientific
analysis to explain variations in the physiological differences between the sexes (Annandale, 2014)
In general, feminists argue that society disadvantages women by constraining them and limiting
their opportunities. This is enforced through the domination of beliefs, theories and ideas that
support and justify women’s subordinate position relative to men. While there were significant
advances towards equality during the 20th century in advanced capitalist societies, feminist theory
argues that women are still exploited by society’s structural organisation combined with embedded
cultural attitudes and ideas that function together to exert social control over women
5. Disability
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