The Sociology of Health in Australia
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Added on 2021-06-17
The Sociology of Health in Australia
Added on 2021-06-17
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Running Head: HEALTH SOCIOLOGY IN AUSTRALIA 1Health Sociology in AustraliaName:Institutional Affiliations:
HEALTH SOCIOLOGY IN AUSTRALIA 2Health Sociology in AustraliaSociological health is a fundamental aspect of the Australian health system. It reveals thatmedicine and other practices related to it are a means of social control. This aspect has been proven in various sociological concepts and theories that there are a specific hierarchy and powerthat defines how health procedures are provided in the Australian healthcare systems. Also, power and knowledge are two correlated aspects that predict functionalism, contrasts, feminism and other factors in the Australian healthcare systems. Like any other business society in the western countries, individuals working in healthcare facilities are organized according to their specific relative authority. It also appears that customization of power and hierarchy is essential in proper functionalism of health institutions in Australia. Furthermore, members of every department in the Australian healthcare systems are positioned in a socially interrelated dimension with each other. Ranking defines responsibility, knowledge, and experience in the nursing fields. Therefore, this paper will discusspower and hierarchy in the current Australian healthcare systems using sociological concepts andtheories. Various patterns are applied why establishing a hierarchy module that governs Australianhealthcare systems. Standardization and licensing are the fundamental actions that legitimize andpractices provided by practitioners. The validation procedures are carried out similarly as past attempts of claiming proprietorship over significant knowledge in medicine (Duckett, 2015). Hence, it leads to control and power where practitioners are ranked differently in healthcare systems.
HEALTH SOCIOLOGY IN AUSTRALIA 3One of the sociological theories in healthcare systems is feminism. In healthcare settings, feminist implies that organizations follow a certain hierarchical system where most doctors are men and hold the topmost positions while most women are nurses and their level of importance is low (Palmer, 2015). Therefore, feminists believe that healthcare systems group jobs by gender where males are given the doctoral positions while females are given nursing positions. In Australia, more than fifty percent of the total population of women in the nation take part in the workforce. Specifically, the healthcare staff is dominated by more than seventy-five percent of women. It implies that women deliver most of the services despite the fact that they are rarely granted the top level positions in healthcare systems.Constraints have been revealed in the Australian healthcare system in the aspect of women positions in health. Matters relating to gender have significantly intersected with other factors such as race, socio-economic status, age, residential location, and ethnicity (Kapilashrami, 2015). Some feminists criticize that positions of health provided to women are still entrenched in western traditions. Cases have been reported of aboriginal women workers faring poorly in the healthcare system of Australia. Women make the majority of the healthcare providers in formal and home settings in Australia. However, cases of little recognition have been observed in women performing informal care to patients. This scenario of limited status is attributed to healthcare settings that are more formal. Allied positions in Australian healthcare systems such as Aboriginal Health Workers as well as nursing are largely feminized. Very few women are presented in health positions and professions that are more elite. Although maternal education has improved the health condition of indigenous people, its retention rate remains astonishingly low (Luke, 2014). This factor leadsto disproportionate rates of employment among women in the Australian healthcare systems. The
HEALTH SOCIOLOGY IN AUSTRALIA 4ranking of women in health position can be explained by the minimal number of women that present the rest in the Australian politics. However, the number of equitable policies made by thefemale politicians in the history of Australia is still questionable. It can reflect why males predominate high position of power in the Australian healthcare systems. Reports imply that women have a poor presentation of decisions and managerial aspects. In turn, such inadequacies can affect the patients’ safety and healthcare services quality. Although women are disadvantaged in leadership skills, their services cannot be neglected (Bacchi, 2015). Their numbers in the healthcare system prove that there are many services that they can offer in the prestigious position given to men.The functionalism sociological theory explains the dominance of hierarchy and power in healthcare settings (Shields, 2016). Different rankings by power are characterized by the specifictask conducted by a healthcare provider. Some tasks are restricted to some participants, and that’s what defines them and their positions in the healthcare system. Functionalists theorists imply that the healthcare systems exist to solve and fulfill the social problem of health among people living the society. For individuals to fulfill their mandate in the community or society, they must be healthy. Certain responsibilities and roles allocated to individuals to relieve them from their normal duties. The functionalists reveal that it is not the wish of any person to become sick. However, every person has a role in identifying sickness characteristics and seek medical interventions since the condition is undesirable. On the other hand, sick individuals should accept the assistance of others. In this case, a healthcare provider is the best person where medical advice and treatment can be obtained (Henslin, 2015). Therefore, health issues connected to hierarchy and power in healthcare systems through this procedure. The sick patient will have an
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