To What Extent Does Difference in Gender, Ethnicity and Class Influence Health Inequalities?

Health is a large cause of one of the most important social divisions in society, with a divide existing between those whom are healthy and those who are not. Your health largely impacts the quality of life which you can lead, meaning there is those who are healthy and can lead a good quality of life, and those whose quality of life is impaired by illness and the potential illness surrounding their lives. The divisions which create health inequalities affect many aspects of everyday life. Though this division is sometimes just down to pure chance, there are structural factors which mean that those who face ill health often come from particular groups. Gender, ethnicity and class all have an influence on health inequalities. Those from lower social classes are more likely to be unhealthy, work and live in hazardous conditions are have more unhealthy lifestyles including poor diet and smoking. too there are large differences in health between ethnicities, such as the way minorities are alienated by the health system. Gender is too something which can have an impact on health inequalities. Though everyone can feel the effects of ill health, this is something which is more likely to impact certain groups, especially those whom are less privileged. Structural inequalities within in our society mean that class, ethnicity and gender are all large factors in health inequalities.

Differences in social class have a large influence on health inequalities. Those from lower socio-economic groups are more likely to be unhealthy than those from higher socio-economic groups. National statistics show that poorer areas have a lower overall life expectancy than richer areas. Glasgow has a life expectancy of 69.3 were as more affluent areas such as...

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