Social Construction

This paper will identify and examine the different factors that cause there to be a discrepancy in black and white women’s levels of health. It will then

Socioeconomic factors include “poverty, marginal employment, low incomes, segregated living conditions, and inadequate education” (Cockerham, 2015). These factors are more common among blacks than whites and are known to cause poor health. Studies have shown that black women are more prone to be exposed to psychosocial stress from poverty and low-paying jobs, which plays an important role in triggering labor in pregnant women. With the elevated buildup of stress hormones, it can cause the body to trigger early labor and other pregnancy problems. Leading to higher rates of infant

Chapter one covers the history and definition of racism. It also covers different pathways of racism and how racism is manifested. Within this chapter the impact of racism of people of color is discussed and its effects, such as depression. Symptoms beyond the mental and physical aspects are also discussed such as incarceration.

One source to support my research is a scholarly article that discusses the subject of racism in the health world, as well as how that negatively affects a patient’s health making them another statistic. The author clearly states “There are well documented racial disparities in health care as well as health status” (4). I plan to use this source to set the tone for the research, this article answers the basic questions about the relationship between racism and health gaps. The next piece is also a scholarly article, that focuses on the effects of health disparities on children. This article is vital for this research project because many individuals who grow up to have health issues related to disparities, encounter racism and develop the health issues. These children then grow up and are likely to have children

African Americans are twice as likely to die of an illness such as cancer and heart disease as well as, less likely to have health access compared to any other race. African Americans are yet subject to racial discrimination and stereotypes in the health care, that leads them without the correct health screenings and treatments. The root of these racial disparities connects with the intersectionality of race, class, gender and education.

Poverty stricken women are forced to live in communities with high crime and drug activity, increased unemployment and poor education school system. These adversities affect African American women at larger degrees throughout her lifetime. African American women are more likely to become a teen mother compared to other groups of women (Ukockis, 2016). This will place her at risks for economic hardships and physical, mental and emotional abuse.

The connection between immigration policy and social construction is very motivating and worthwhile because social construction has an influence on immigration policy and the numerous factors in social construction also play a part in forming immigration policies. Immigration is the process of permanently entering a country. Social construction is the most common question that is debated is “what makes a person American or who gets to be called an America” (lecture). Immigration is the process of permanently entering a country. During the 18th and 19th century, America wanted to attract skilled immigrant workers so entrance to the United States was very encouraged.

“African Americans have the worst health profile. Disparities in health status are well documented and widely known. However, research on race, ethnicity, and health is controversial. The reason for this is probably linked to the thorny role that race has played in American history and contemporary culture. Because of this history, race engenders emotion, and emotion is the antidote to rationality. Some have called for the end of research on race and health” (Isaac, L pg.

Racial differences in socioeconomic status (education, income, occupation, health) are well documented. For example, black people have a higher death rate from cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer, and diabetes compared to the rest of the population. In addition, black people are less likely than white people to receive optimal care for their health conditions. Furthermore, black people are three times more likely to live in poverty than white people, and their median household earnings are significantly lower than whites. Slavery, Jim Crow laws, and other forms of discrimination are directly linked to African Americans socioeconomic statuses. Legal racist practices made it harder for African Americans to accumulate wealth (Gaskin, Headen, & White-Means, 2005).

David R. Williams and Ruth Williams Morris write in “Racism and Mental Health: The African American Experience” that negative attitudes of white Americans resulting in the formation of racist policies contribute to mental health problems for African Americans, as they attempt to cope. Mental health issues, Williams and William Morris continues, can be a consequence of living within a lower income bracket with decreasing prospects for future improvement, an inability to attain needed “resources” e.g. the choice between prescription medications and food, or finally, internalizing the damaging opinions.

Furthermore, most births were analyzed states of a hospital, because most hospitals shown at CSL were located in urban centers, our results may not generalize women experience in the most rural regions where the factors alternatives for SGA risk may be more or less influential than those arising from the social context of racial and socioeconomic inequality in an urban environment. The effects observed throughout the state here are potentially actionable, but certainly not negate any local effect that might be present. Finally, we analyze only three indicators of structural racism, and these indicators have not fully understood the ways in which the practices and policies at the state level systematically disadvantaged members of the black population, one of the trends dictate the health of the population. Further work is needed to develop quantitative indicators of structural racism and understand how to conceptualize and directly measure racism and its adverse health

The first issue that I learned after watching the health disparities video is despite similar levels of education and economic standing that African American women have the higher rates of infant mortality than Caucasian females with less education and a lower economic standing. The video theorized that this anomaly was most likely due to with experiences associated with racism. The video asserted that racism was a constant stressor and that neuroendocrine and sympathetic nervous system changes caused by stress could result in the gradual breakdown of the body and its systems.

At each age, in all income groups with different health life styles, African Americans have higher mortality and morbidity rates than whites. I agree with this as minorities have been oppressed and discriminated since the beginning of time, all the built-up stress can cause detrimental effects on the health of the fetus growing inside the womb leading to high premature births and infant mortality rates. Also, this may explain why African American women experience this despite having good health, high economic status, and following the doctor’s

The African-American culture is very unique that has been shaped by history. Historical events such as civil rights and slavery has negatively impacted this culture immensely. African Americans have been victims of discrimination and racism for many years. This has negatively impacted the lives of many African American adults and has resulted in many challenges that these individuals face on a daily basis. For example, African Americans tend to have higher unemployment rates, lower economic status, drug abuse problems, overall poorer health, lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality rates, and poverty (Baruth & Manning, 2016).

Social Construction Theory While it is understood that policy making in our society is greatly influenced by different actors across a variety of levels and belief systems, it is also influenced by our society’s social construction of various groups in our country. Social constructions, in short, are our perceptions of a target group created out of our social, political, and cultural interactions and experiences of the group being perceived. Instead of solely focusing on the “how” of policy formation and the changes that occur, Social Construction Theory (SCT) seeks to explain how social constructions of certain population groups influence the relationship of the very public policies that affect them.