Inequality and Poor Health

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that heath is not only biologically determined but is also determined by factors such as poverty and access to the resources that the society has to offer. It looks at studies which indicate that there is a direct relationship between inequality, wealth and life expectancy. The paper discusses how these issues differ in poorer and richer countries.

From the Paper:

"The relationship between health and social inequality is even more clearly visible in less developed counties where there are clear and sometimes extreme divisions in social class and stratification. The problem of HIV/AIDS in Africa, and particularly South Africa, for example, is directly related to poverty and the inequalities of the Apartheid past in the country. Many Government and health officials link the very high incidence of HIV in this country to poor living conditions and the unequal distribution of health resources - which still tend mainly to be more accessible to the rich and privileged. Poverty as a result of social inequality is therefore seen as having a direct affect on health and well-being."

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