193 9 Social inequality DEFINITION The unequal distribution of resources like income, wealth, prestige and power is termed social inequality. These unequally distributed resources yield further advantages or disadvantages and accrue to individuals as a result of their position in the social structure and in social networks. Thus, when one speaks of social inequality, one speaks of societally anchored forms of privileging some over others. Across modern societies, social inequality exists to different degrees and in myriad forms. It is institutionalised in
Public health in the early 21st century increasingly considers how social inequalities impact on individual health, moving away from the focus on how disease relates to the individual person. This ‘new public health’ identifies how social, economic and political factors affect the level and distribution of individual health, through their effects on individual behaviours, the social groups people belong to, the character of relationships to others and the characteristics of the societies in which people live. The rising social inequalities that can be seen in nearly every country in the world today present not just a moral danger, but a mortal danger as well.
“Social inequality and public health” brings together the latest research findings from some of the most respected medical and social scientists in the world. It surveys four pathways to understanding the social determinants of health: differences in individual health behaviours; group advantage and disadvantage; psychosocial factors in individual health; and healthy and unhealthy societies, shedding light on the costs and consequences of today’s high-inequality social models.
This exciting book brings together leaders in the field discussing their latest research and is a must-read for anyone interested in public health and social inequalities internationally.
151 EIGHT Conclusion: the role of lifelong learning in reducing social inequality at a time of economic crisis Sheila Riddell, Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity, University of Edinburgh introduction The LLL2010 project began in 2005 during a period of social optimism, following the expansion of the EU and a decade of sustained economic growth. Lifelong learning was regarded as having important economic and social benefits in terms of producing a flexible workforce, supporting social mobility and stimulating personal growth and
Part ii The Pandemic, Social Inequality, and Mobilization
151 Housing policy and social inequality in Japan EIGHT Housing policy and social inequality in Japan Yosuke Hirayama Introduction Housing policy does not serve to improve the housing condition for all people. Under a specific set of social, economic and political conditions, it allots resources to certain groups, which in turn contribute to the formation of social inequality. In relation to housing, boundaries that place certain groups at an advantage and others at a disadvantage are socially drawn. These boundaries are not fixed but are redrawn depending on
135 Housing and social inequality in Britain SEVEN Housing and social inequality in Britain Mark Kleinman Introduction This chapter looks at trends in social inequality in Britain and how the operation of the housing system and housing policy has contributed to this. It is divided into three parts. In the first, it looks at the development of housing policy in Britain from the mid-1970s on. It argues that the late 1970s and early 1980s were a turning point which committed British policy to a path of ‘bifurcation’, leading to an increase in inequality, and an
311 40 The geography of social inequality and health1 Swiss Public Health Lecture (2005) Some statistical pictures of the rich world, the local, and the global This chapter documents a lecture that presented some 30 pictures: maps, graphs and ‘map-graphs’ that were intended to show a group of public health physicians what a geographical perspective can bring to the understanding of social inequality and inequalities in health. Here those images have been grouped into eight figures to provide some food for thought. The mapping of disease is rumoured to
179 ELEVEN criminal justice, social inequalities and social justice Hazel Croall introduction Crime and criminal justice are intricately linked to the issues of welfare and social justice that form the focus of this collection. The clientele of police stations, courts and prisons are largely drawn from the most deprived groups and crime has a disproportionate impact on the poor. With its renowned Children’s Hearings system and greater emphasis on rehabilitative social work with offenders, it has been argued that Scotland, before devolution, took a more
167 SIX Poverty and social inequality In Annagry, a small village outside the town of Dungloe in the beautiful wilds of West Donegal there is a craft shop selling the usual attractions of such an area – handknit Arans, hand made lace and mairtins. The craft shop has a sign outside saying ‘Carrickfin Crafts’ and it is known in this Gaeltacht area as Comhaircummann na Rossan Teo – the Rosses Co Operative Ltd., it is a co-operative in the true and original sense of the word. Such a craft shop is by no means an unusual sight in the Gaeltacht areas. For it to
189 Quality of life and social inequality in old age THIRTEEN Quality of life and social inequality in old age Andreas Motel-Klingebiel Key points • Quality of life is a core outcome of unequally distributed access to social assets and/ or social positions that results in restricted or favoured life chances. • The life domains relevant to overall quality of life vary considerably between age groups, with shifts from the outside world to inner life with increasing age. • Quality of life is significantly lower but more divergent among older people. • The results
