This means that they are more likely to suffer from illnesses and health conditions at a higher rate than those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are likely to experience health disparities. They often live in single-parent homes, and even if their parent is educated enough to help them with homework and learning advancement, the parent may not have time to spend with the child to do those things because of his or her work schedule. People who earn a lower income tend to live in housing units that are not well maintained in areas where crime is higher than average and in poor school districts with fewer educational opportunities.Ĭhildren born into low income status have less educated parents who can’t teach them things they need to know to live better (because they don’t know either), and these children have limited educational opportunities in their local public schools. It is your parents’ education level that is most likely to determine where you will fall on the socioeconomic ladder as you grow up and even into adulthood. EducationĮducation is an important contributor to socioeconomic status. The level of education a person can and will achieve is limited by that person’s income. A person who is more educated will be able to get a job with better pay.īut education is also a factor of income. You don’t need to be wealthy to have financial security, but it is unlikely you will achieve financial security in the lower socioeconomic class. That threshold is called financial security. But there is a lower threshold at which you can’t purchase the things you need to live, just like there is an upper threshold where you can purchase all you need without fear of becoming overdrawn or having to give up something else essential. Yes, there are different levels of income, just as there are different levels of wealth. Your income determines your capacity to purchase, and so it is either a limiting resource or not. Income (or lack of it) is one of the most important factors affecting someone’s socioeconomic status. With a term like socioECONOMIC, most people would assume that money must be a factor, and it is. Let’s take a closer look at each of these. Socioeconomic Status: Income, Education, & Occupation These are income, education, and occupation. Socioeconomic status (SES) or class is impacted by hundreds of different factors, but those can be classified into three major categories which actually drive each other. Transcending low socioeconomic status is VERY difficult. (Sometimes these classes are further subdivided, but the broader classes are most relevant for what we are talking about here.) We normally divide socioeconomic status into three major levels–low, middle, and high–based on where a person stands socioeconomically compared to others. The American Psychological Association defines socioeconomic status as the social standing or class of a person or group of people.Ī person’s socioeconomic class is defined at birth based on his or her parents’ class or status, but a person’s socioeconomic status could change multiple times throughout life. Provide educational resources for parents to help break the poverty cycle.īy the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of how socioeconomic status impacts health along with a list of practical ways to improve the health of those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.Discuss ways to improve the health of those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.Explore the impact of socioeconomic status on health.Differentiate between the 3 major socioeconomic classes–low, middle, and high.Describe the 3 major contributors to socioeconomic status.There are numerous factors at play, and it is a cycle that will continue unless we take some dramatic steps to stop it. People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds tend to have poorer health outcomes than those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. One reason for this disparity is that there is a much larger percentage of the American population that is low income or impoverished compared to the well-off. It really doesn’t make sense that people in the wealthiest country in the world are less healthy and dying younger than people in other wealthy countries, but it is our reality. In a previous blog, I talked about how Americans have a shorter life expectancy than people in peer or other developed, wealthy countries.
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