Class in America

In Mantsios' article, he mentions there being an inverse relationship between social class and health. It's not that this idea is new or surprising, but as I thought more about it, the more it interested me. It is interesting to me for several reasons, in terms of money, life expectancy and lifestyle. Obviously, money is a pressing issue for lower classes. The gap between rich and poor in the U.S. is the widest it has ever been and it continues to grow. For this reason I think it would be safe to say that the health gap between rich and poor is widening as well. Lower class families cannot afford the same insurances and medical treatment that upper class families can afford and therefore, they receive lower quality medical treatments that don't yield the same benefits.

In terms of life expectancy, there are medicines and new information presented to society that help people to live longer and to live a healthier life. The problem is that these medicines, information, tools, etc., are given to people with money. Members of the upper classes are more likely to live longer because they have easy access to resources which will increase their life expectancy. It is proven that a higher class standing yields a higher life expectancy.

There are obvious differences among lifestyles in each social class as well. Upper classes have better life experiences and are very comfortable with their living arrangements for the most part. Members of lower classes suffer from higher stress levels because of monetary issues that consume them daily. Their lives are more physically demanding and not as comfortable as those of upper classes. The poor aren't able to choose what hospitals will benefit them the most when they are sick or have an emergency; they need a cheap fix so to speak and therefore don't receive high end medical care.

In examining these aspects, it is prevalent that social class defines the ability one has to change their lifestyle because it affects one's understanding of their life based on how they've been raised and what values were instilled in them from a young age.

Sarah