Task 2 - social inequalities
Social inequality can refer to the lack or uneven distribution of life's neces-
sities for certain groups of people, it is found in all societies due to the divi-
sion of power and wealth. In some cases, social inequality is demonstrated
by social class and therefore social hierarchy. This social stratification
(which refers to the ranking of different groups of people within a society)
leads to some individuals of a higher perceived rank having more opportu-
nities and better ‘luck’ than an individual of a lower rank. These different
levels of power within a society can be dictated by wealth and discerned
power.
Different societies and social groups face a range of social inequalities,
these differences can be due to the culture, demographic and beliefs of the
social group concerned. These changes can cause variations in health pat-
terns across the world - for example, death rate and life expectancy can be
heavily affected. Within a higher social class, health trends and patterns
usually indicate there is a better level of overall health and well being - a
higher life expectancy and lower obesity rates, this is the opposite to a
lower social class, individuals within this group tend to suffer from more ill-
ness and higher death rates, along with lower life expectancy. This could
be due to a range of reasons - a lower level of wealth may lead to individu-
als struggling to afford healthy food options and have no choice other than
to live in inadequate housing (for example, with damp) An individual of a
lower social class may also have less ability to access the health care they
need, private healthcare may not be affordable for many people and so
they have no choice other than to wait. These differences exist within
many societies and social groups, they can vary dependent on different
factors such as: race, age, sex, disability, geographical location and sexual
orientation.
Gender Inequality
One fact that can heavily influence social inequality is an individual's gen-
der, defined as the characteristics of men and women that are socially con-
structed, this includes norms, behaviours and roles that are associated
with being a man or woman as well as relationships with each other. Life
expectancy from 2018-2020 in the UK was 79 years for males and 82.9
years for females, this has increased steadily over the last 20 years - in
1980 the average life expectancy for a male was 70.91 and for females it
was 76.81. This increase can be due to a range of reasons, one of the
main ones being that healthcare quality has increased drastically, there are
many less people dying from curable illnesses and disease (such as HIV)
due to the developing knowledge in the area and developments in medical
treatments. There is also a gap between the life expectancy of males and
,females, one reason for this (back in the 1900’s) was that men did more
physically demanding jobs, such as working in mines - this caused respira-
tory problems for many men at the time, therefore decreasing life ex-
pectancy. In our current society, working conditions have improved and so
occupation related illness has decreased.
Men are also more likely to develop a range of serious health conditions -
for example, a man is 10 times more likely to develop inguinal hernias than
women and 5 times more likely to experience an aortic aneurysm. Despite
this, women are more likely to report illness and get it checked out by a
medical professional, whereas men are less likely to come forward regard-
ing ill health. This can contribute to women generally living for longer as
many illnesses and diseases are not fatal when discovered early. Men
tend to leave illness concerns for longer due to the perceived stigma
around asking for help. Nearly two thirds of men said they hold off going to
the doctors as long as possible, 37% say they would withhold information
from the doctor due to the fcat they are scared of having to deal with a po-
tential diagnosis if they told the truth. These statistics exemplify why there
are higher illness related deaths in men. An example of a potentially treat-
able illness if caught early is prostate cancer, it can be detected with a sim-
ple exam - when detected early there is a much better prognosis and treat-
ment plan that can be discussed. When it reaches the later stages there
are limited options in which individuals can be treated and the chance of
death increases drastically. Prostate cancer accounts for 13% of all cancer
deaths in males in the UK, this statistic could be decreased with changes
in attitude to the doctors. Lifestyle choices also contribute to the difference
in male and female death rates within the UK - men tend to drink and
smoke heavily compared to women. This can cause a range of illnesses
such as liver disease, high blood pressure and lung cancer. Although
these problems can occur without drinking and smoking, they are predomi-
nantly caused by self inflicted fac-
, tors.
Another factor that can demonstrate social inequality with gender is the
way men and womens illness are perceived. There is evidence that
women are less likely to be taken seriously by doctors and other health
professionals compared to men. Women are much more likely to be
passed off as hysterical and overreacting when presenting to a profes-
sional with pain, they are often written off as psychiatric patients, overre-
acting to pain and prescribed anxiety drugs. There is the opposite treat-
ment for men, they are usually taken seriously, immediately. This inequal-
ity between men and women can lead to mental health issues within
women - due to many professionals brushing their medical issues aside
and instead blaming anxiety can lead to mental health struggles develop-
ing, which, in turn, makes the situation worse. Studies show that between
30% and 50% of women diagnosed with depression were in fact misdiag-
nosed.
Another example being Ehlers Danlos Syndrome - a connective tissue dis-
order that is relatively hard to diagnose. The average time for a man to be
diagnosed and have his symptoms managed was four years, for a woman
it was 16. This difference in time of diagnosis can lead to potential irre-
versible issues (that could have been prevented if a diagnostic path had
been followed) This inequality within healthcare can lead individuals to be-
Social inequality can refer to the lack or uneven distribution of life's neces-
sities for certain groups of people, it is found in all societies due to the divi-
sion of power and wealth. In some cases, social inequality is demonstrated
by social class and therefore social hierarchy. This social stratification
(which refers to the ranking of different groups of people within a society)
leads to some individuals of a higher perceived rank having more opportu-
nities and better ‘luck’ than an individual of a lower rank. These different
levels of power within a society can be dictated by wealth and discerned
power.
Different societies and social groups face a range of social inequalities,
these differences can be due to the culture, demographic and beliefs of the
social group concerned. These changes can cause variations in health pat-
terns across the world - for example, death rate and life expectancy can be
heavily affected. Within a higher social class, health trends and patterns
usually indicate there is a better level of overall health and well being - a
higher life expectancy and lower obesity rates, this is the opposite to a
lower social class, individuals within this group tend to suffer from more ill-
ness and higher death rates, along with lower life expectancy. This could
be due to a range of reasons - a lower level of wealth may lead to individu-
als struggling to afford healthy food options and have no choice other than
to live in inadequate housing (for example, with damp) An individual of a
lower social class may also have less ability to access the health care they
need, private healthcare may not be affordable for many people and so
they have no choice other than to wait. These differences exist within
many societies and social groups, they can vary dependent on different
factors such as: race, age, sex, disability, geographical location and sexual
orientation.
Gender Inequality
One fact that can heavily influence social inequality is an individual's gen-
der, defined as the characteristics of men and women that are socially con-
structed, this includes norms, behaviours and roles that are associated
with being a man or woman as well as relationships with each other. Life
expectancy from 2018-2020 in the UK was 79 years for males and 82.9
years for females, this has increased steadily over the last 20 years - in
1980 the average life expectancy for a male was 70.91 and for females it
was 76.81. This increase can be due to a range of reasons, one of the
main ones being that healthcare quality has increased drastically, there are
many less people dying from curable illnesses and disease (such as HIV)
due to the developing knowledge in the area and developments in medical
treatments. There is also a gap between the life expectancy of males and
,females, one reason for this (back in the 1900’s) was that men did more
physically demanding jobs, such as working in mines - this caused respira-
tory problems for many men at the time, therefore decreasing life ex-
pectancy. In our current society, working conditions have improved and so
occupation related illness has decreased.
Men are also more likely to develop a range of serious health conditions -
for example, a man is 10 times more likely to develop inguinal hernias than
women and 5 times more likely to experience an aortic aneurysm. Despite
this, women are more likely to report illness and get it checked out by a
medical professional, whereas men are less likely to come forward regard-
ing ill health. This can contribute to women generally living for longer as
many illnesses and diseases are not fatal when discovered early. Men
tend to leave illness concerns for longer due to the perceived stigma
around asking for help. Nearly two thirds of men said they hold off going to
the doctors as long as possible, 37% say they would withhold information
from the doctor due to the fcat they are scared of having to deal with a po-
tential diagnosis if they told the truth. These statistics exemplify why there
are higher illness related deaths in men. An example of a potentially treat-
able illness if caught early is prostate cancer, it can be detected with a sim-
ple exam - when detected early there is a much better prognosis and treat-
ment plan that can be discussed. When it reaches the later stages there
are limited options in which individuals can be treated and the chance of
death increases drastically. Prostate cancer accounts for 13% of all cancer
deaths in males in the UK, this statistic could be decreased with changes
in attitude to the doctors. Lifestyle choices also contribute to the difference
in male and female death rates within the UK - men tend to drink and
smoke heavily compared to women. This can cause a range of illnesses
such as liver disease, high blood pressure and lung cancer. Although
these problems can occur without drinking and smoking, they are predomi-
nantly caused by self inflicted fac-
, tors.
Another factor that can demonstrate social inequality with gender is the
way men and womens illness are perceived. There is evidence that
women are less likely to be taken seriously by doctors and other health
professionals compared to men. Women are much more likely to be
passed off as hysterical and overreacting when presenting to a profes-
sional with pain, they are often written off as psychiatric patients, overre-
acting to pain and prescribed anxiety drugs. There is the opposite treat-
ment for men, they are usually taken seriously, immediately. This inequal-
ity between men and women can lead to mental health issues within
women - due to many professionals brushing their medical issues aside
and instead blaming anxiety can lead to mental health struggles develop-
ing, which, in turn, makes the situation worse. Studies show that between
30% and 50% of women diagnosed with depression were in fact misdiag-
nosed.
Another example being Ehlers Danlos Syndrome - a connective tissue dis-
order that is relatively hard to diagnose. The average time for a man to be
diagnosed and have his symptoms managed was four years, for a woman
it was 16. This difference in time of diagnosis can lead to potential irre-
versible issues (that could have been prevented if a diagnostic path had
been followed) This inequality within healthcare can lead individuals to be-
