To what extent does your social class affect your health and life expectancy?
Social class is the grouping of individuals based on their wealth, income, education, occupation and social networks. An individual’s socioeconomic status is a significant determinant of their health and life expectancy. Social class may prevent people from receiving proper healthcare and nutrition due to economic or educational reasons therefore affecting their overall physical state. Socioeconomic factors and environment, which can be dictated by a person’s social class, can also have a serious effect on their mental health. This is what is referred to as a health inequality, which describes the systematic differences in health associated with people’s different and unequal positions in society (Graham 2004:117).
There is approximately a 25 year life expectancy gap between rich and poor Londoners. There are many factors that will play a part in someones life expectancy, however, one of the greatest determinants on someone’s health is their income. (Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson: 2014). As economic inequalities in the Uk have risen, other aspects across social inequalities have been affected such as education, social mobility, and health.
Education has an enormous effect on a person’s health and life expectancy and it is greatly affected by social class. A person from a family of lower income may not be able to afford a good education or even finish it, which would lower their chances of that person being able to find a well-paid job. According to statistics, the higher a person’s class, the higher their educational qualification will be. For example, 2012/13 statistics in London show that students who live in the area of Westminster had a 86.6% pass rate in their GCSE’s compared to those living in Newham who only had a 79.1% pass rate (Department of Education, 2014). Education will affect the type of job a person will have, the income they will be able to command which in turn will affect a person’s health. Education about health and diet will also have an enormous impact. Having a good knowledge of nutrition and knowing how to follow a healthy lifestyle, which would come from having had a good education, along with having the financial resources to afford good quality food, the ability to access fresh produce, exercising facilities and preventative health programs all play an important role on a person’s health. Those with no qualifications are five times more likely to have unhealthy habits and this will have a lot to do with education. Poor lifestyle choices like smoking, poor nutrition and drinking, will have a negative impact on someones health (King’s fund think tank, 2012). In 2002, 17% of men and 16% of women in white collar occupations smoked, while in blue collar jobs 34% of men and 30% of women smoked (Office of National Statistics, 2002). The ability to have a proper education is very important to have a long, healthy life, however, it isn’t always accessible by the lower classes.
An important factor leading to health disparities is health literacy, which is the ability to understand and use healthcare information to make decisions and follow a treatment. Health literacy is lower among lower classes and this may be due to language barriers, reading levels and numeracy levels that all have to do with education. A misinterpretation can cause severe health consequences; therefore the lower classes are more susceptible to health hazards as a result. Well educated, higher income earners are also more likely to question their diagnosis and treatment and take better decisions regarding their own health, therefore improving their standards of health.
People from lower classes tend to have less access to healthcare, and especially high quality care and this is a clear example of health inequality. They are also less likely to have private health insurance as lower status jobs don’t always provide health insurance benefits to employees and the worker can’t always afford to pay for a private insurance policy. People from higher social classes are more likely to invest time and money in preventative health measures, attending regular check-ups, and spending money on good quality foods and exercising regularly, whereas people from lower social classes are more likely to go to the doctor only after a problem has actually arisen. The lowest life expectancy for men in the UK is in Blackpool where men are expected to live 75.2 years, whilst in contrast the highest life expectancy in the country is in London, where men are expected to live an average of 83.4 years, which is a clear example of the impact class and economic status can have on health (Sarah Knapton, 2015).
Mental health refers to emotional well-being and the ability to continue with what are considered the normal stresses of life. A person’s social class can affect their mental health, since class is linked to financial, work and living conditions, all of which have an impact on a person’s psychological well-being. Stresses don’t vary a lot between classes, financial and family problems will worry people from all different classes and backgrounds, however the way of dealing with these issues will most likely differ. The difference between upper and lower classes in regards to mental health is the different attitudes towards mental illness. In the UK, The Department of Health Attitudes to mental illness report (2010) showed that those with the lowest occupation-based social status were more likely to be worried or even frightened by people with mental health problems living nearby and similarly other studies found that those in a higher ‘social grade’ occupation were more likely to accept psychiatric disorders as constituting mental illness (Rusch et al. 2012). Higher classes are more likely to recognise mental problems and more willing to seek psychological help than lower classes. They also more likely to carry out activities like yoga or meditation than lower classes, probably because they have more time and money to permit themselves to do so. Lower classes tend to be less accepting of the psychologically sick, and are consequently less likely to seek psychotherapeutic intervention (Hollingshead and Redlich 1958; Horwitz 1982). The failure to find help by someone who needs it may actually deteriorate their mental state (Hudson, Christopher G.1988) and therefore this is where the lower social classes will be affected. Negative living conditions that can affect a person's mental health include: living in areas where crime, prostitution and drug use are prominent or even pollution (Annandale, 2014). Home stability and family life are strongly influenced by class and can be also be important factors that can affect mental health.
There is a clear link between low income and poor health as well as a definitive correlation between health and occupation. Having a lower education, will lower your chances of getting a well-paid job and his consequently could lead to worse living and working conditions, where the chances of getting injured or contracting a disease would increase. Globally 350,000 people die every year because of workplace accidents (Mathers et al, 2009) and this is usually within low occupational jobs, like in builders or factory workers. Manual jobs of lower income, such as hairdressers, manicurists and cleaners involve the use of strong chemicals and being exposed to such substances for long hours can definitely deteriorate your health and long-term exposure will surely have an effect on the person’s life expectancy. Working and living conditions affect your mental and physical wellbeing, however not everyone is able to change their circumstances easily as people from lower classes are usually more limited because of their financial situation and so they may find themselves in more detrimental conditions which they cannot leave.
In conclusion, a person’s social class can have a huge impact on their health and life expectancy. The economic inequality keeps getting larger in Britain and this creates more health inequalities between social classes as a consequence. The inability to access proper healthcare services and medicine by the lower classes can have severe consequences on someone’s health and therefore lower their life expectancy. It is not only having access to proper healthcare, but it is also the interpreting of information given to you by doctors and the ability to make proper decisions and following the treatment given that will make a difference in your health, and this ability will come from a having a proper education.