Social Status : The Impact Of Status On Life

In the article “The Color of Family Ties: Races, Class, Gender, and Extend Family involvement” by Naomi Gerstel and Natalia Sarkisian, there is a theory that they believe in reality, people misunderstand the wrong concept of family involvement. In this case, we need to realize this conflict is still happening in the societies. Base on the authors’ data, Black and Latinos/Latinas families show that they likely to have less education than the whites families therefore black and Latinos/Latinas will focus on reply the helps from the members of the families rather than being independent (49). Toward more, Gerstel and Sarkisian also discuss

In her essay McIntosh, discusses how “[p]ower from unearned privilege can look like strength when it is in fact permission to escape or to dominate” (31). Like McIntosh, my social status has allowed me to meet inspirational people who are willing to give me the opportunities I other wise would not encounter. For example, I can say with confidence that my own social ranking has allowed me to experience life with no limitations, “I could think of myself as belonging in major ways and of making social systems work for me” (31). One’s social class is determined due to several different factors. However, our economic standing is a huge part in determining the social rankings we are part of.

According Social Inequality: Patterns and Processes by Martin Marger, life chances includes “education, physical and mental health, residence and justice;” which are opportunities that we must procure through social resources (18). Our position within society determines our life chances; for children, their parent’s positions within society determines the child’s social status within society. “Life chances are acquired, then, as a result of factors that are only partially in the control of individuals…people’s initial class position and, therefore, the dimensions of their opportunities and future prospects are essentially an “accident of birth.” Certainly, people may subsequently enhance their life chances through individual effort, but

Social stratification also ties in with social location because depending on one’s social location one is thrown into, their class system is assigned, “…any society will consist of levels that relate to each other in terms of superordination and subordination, be it in power, privilege or prestige” (78). This is a system of ranking, and one’s position is usually determined though economic criteria. One’s level may change however; “…a class society is one in which there is typically a high degree of social mobility” (79). A persons class position will determine their life experiences based on their opportunities available, Max Weber explain that “ones class position yields certain probabilities or life chances…” (79). Role theory explains how one’s actions and identity is socially bestowed and sustained. A role is defined as “a typified response to a typified

It was found that a person’s occupation could be associated with either high or low income, when individuals have higher income, lower stress levels are exhibited and in reverse, when individuals earn lower incomes, higher stress levels are exhibited. Furthermore education coincides with health as well; in most cases higher education leads to healthier individuals and a greater life expectancy, an excerpt from the reading supporting this statement is “they found that mortality rates decrease for college educated women” (Barr 2014 40). There are an abundance of factors that correlate with the socioeconomic status of individuals, another major one is race, and this factor is especially significant within the United States. An example of this is the socioeconomic status of African Americans; it is a fact that African Americans have a much higher death rate compared to the death rates of Caucasian Americans. Connecting education, race, and income all together to demonstrate how these all correlate with socioeconomic status, is the fact that African Americans are less likely to graduate high school or even go to college, while Caucasian Americans are more prone to graduated high school and attend college, with this being said this fact connects and supports the previously statement that African Americans have a much higher death rate than the death rate of Caucasian Americans. Natural social hierarchy is defined as the privileges and/or luxuries one may be born into, these advantages may include having a trust fund, cars, a nice home etc., most of the time these advantages ensure that an individual is less likely to have health problems and that they will have a lower mortality rate than those who are not born into those certain advantages. Individuals, who are born into the lower end of socioeconomic status, have a

Social class is a division of a society based on social and economic status which can include levels of wealth, success, power of authority, and influence. Status is can be defined or grouped having common economic, cultural, or political interests.

The Life at the Top in America Isn’t Just Better, It’s Longer news article assigned for this week’s critical writing caught me off guard. I was not expecting a narrative compilation of three individuals’ varying healthcare experiences. The article allowed me to reflect and contemplate the three very differing experiences. Each of these experiences was significantly dissimilar from one another due to each individual’s socioeconomic status. As we have learned and discussed in Chapter three of the text, socioeconomic status (or social class) is an individual’s or group’s standing within a ranked social structure. This socioeconomic status is typically determined by three main variables such as income, occupational prestige, and education. Different models of the social class ladder exist. The five-class model used in the United States is as follows: upper class, upper-middle class, lower-middle class, working class, and lower class. With this in mind and as previously mentioned in our text, “socioeconomic status or social class is the strongest and most consistent predictor of a person’s health and life expectancy across the life course.” In this response paper, I will deliberate and explain my thoughts on each individual’s experience.

Have you ever felt like you have been judged or classified based on how you look, what you do or where you come from? Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, think differently for a second and realize how status affects others. Being categorized based on clothing, religion, or actions is hard to go through but eventually we make it. Our status more times than not, is defined by what we look like, how we dress and where we come from.

Differences between class in areas such as Health, Education, Income, and family structure seem to be growing wider, which is a troubling sign for society as a whole. In my mind, considering America’s advanced healthcare system, I would think life expectancy to be a fairly consistent number across all classes-I was mistaken. Life expectancy is one of the many health indicators that varies between classes. Individuals in the upper class can expect a life expectancy five years longer (found in some studies) than those in the lower class. Class can also be a determining factor in your lifestyle and family structure according to Class Matters. According to the correspondents, the more affluent you are, the more likely you are to live in a more isolated home. Higher class women will often have kids later in their lives, usually once they are married, while lower class women are more likely to have children at younger ages- the age becomes even lower if the women does not have a college degree. This growing disparity between the upper and lower class has put the more affluent in a powerful position compared to their lower class peers. According to the The New York Times, 77% of people who earned $30,000 or less (lower class)

According to the legislation of Virginia, the social status was based on the mother. If a slave bears a child, even if the father is an Englishman the slave mother determined the child's social status. Huge fines on slaves indulging in fornication were high and brutal for the slaves in the region. March 1661 the laws against adultery were clear and if a child is born within such parameters they and given to the parish. Fines of thousands of tobacco and been sold were the few known ways in which slaves suffered (Johnson).

Second, my economic status has affected how I see myself. As one of the many Americans in the lower middle class I’ve had to work for everything that I have. I grew up in a very wealthy and privileged town and while most of my friends lived in the lap of luxury, I started working when I was 13 so that I could help my mom support our family. In being from a less fortunate economic background, I’ve pushed myself through multiple adversities. For example, in applying to college I knew I would have to get a scholarship to in order to attend. The motivation I found to apply to and win a scholarship was developed by my economic background. Being lower middle class has shaped my work ethic and my levels of motivation to get things done. In Goleman’s article about what makes a leader in

Among the life chances affected as result of social class involve factors such as: How long people live (life expectancy), how healthy people are, how much and what they eat, the kind of housing they live in, the level of education they reach and the qualifications they achieve, how likely they are to be unemployed

According to Marmot Review 2010, people with higher socioeconomic positions in society have a greater array of life chances and more opportunities to lead a flourishing life comparing to lower social class. They also have better health than lower social classes because social class people are more likely to eat unhealthy foods, smoke and drink.

This essay will discuss ways in which a person’s socioeconomic class and his/her social situation can have an impact on his/her health, using examples. We believe that there is a direct link between socioeconomic/social class and health (Adler et al. 1994). I will be defining the key terms: socioeconomic and health, social class then proceed to discuss about how poverty, income, employability, environment and housing can impact on a person’s social situation and their health.

Life chances can have a positive or negative effect on individual’s lifetime in terms of their education, health, employment, income and housing. They are influenced by different social factors such as social class, gender and ethnicity. As a result, life chances are different for individuals and groups (Anon, 2016).