Sociology of Health: Examining Social Class, Inequality and Health

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the sociology of health, with a specific focus on the impact of social class on health outcomes and inequalities. It explores various sociological theories such as functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism to understand how social structures and interactions influence health and illness. The report delves into the role of the state and healthcare professionals in managing health, examining the influence of cultural and societal factors on the social construction of health. It also analyzes the concept of the sick role, discussing the rights and obligations of individuals experiencing illness within a social context. The report highlights the disparities in healthcare access and the effects of social class on health, concluding with an emphasis on the importance of ethical practices and equality in healthcare delivery. The report also explores the need for societal changes to reduce health inequalities.

Sociology of health

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................2
MAIN BODY........................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................6
REFRENCES......................................................................................................................................7
INTRODUCTION
Sociology of health can be understood the study of society patterns, social
relationships and culture which surrounds people in livelihood patterns and the
parameters through which medical treatments are provided among people. Social
class leads to inequalities in health which is one of the biggest most emerging issues
around world in health aspects globally. The report explains theories of sociology in
health and illness with understanding of role of state and professions in management

health along with understanding of cultural, societal influences related to social
construction of health. Report also discusses understanding and detail analysis of
concept of stick role in relation to well being, and the role in social class standards. It
explains how they are an integral part of society and medically have the right to get
proper treatments without any discrimination within social class. Report in detail
analyses how an individual health affects every person connected around in society,
various measures they need to be taken for procuring safety and functional ethics
which will benefit them for long term. There is detailed analysis on social class
inequality and the various demerits society faces due to potential unequal distribution
of medical facilities among people. Report explains various measures which are
important in social class for enabling strong life and the various measures which
leads to inequalities in health among global parameters (Gottdiener,2019).
MAIN BODY
Social class is set of correlated to environmental hazards which increase risk
of contracting disease, low access to fresh produce, provide facilities and the
efficient preventive health programs. People in upper class posses high economic
power and social networks which effectively derive strong medical facilities and
proper medical treatments, with proper knowledge and confirmation with specialists.
Social networks confer benefits from advantages in seeking employment and ethical
facilitation of services in medical treatments. Social inequality can be understood as
the differentiation among people on economic grounds based on their income factors
and ability to provide proper treatments. Social inequality largely impacts people
health profiles as unequal distribution of environmental hazards and access to health
services often vary highly between demographic groups including social classes.
Socioeconomic factors such as high pattern of employment, better economic and
financial strength to get efficient treatments and nursing facilities affect highly the
social class people. The social class leads to inequalities in health on various global
parameters on which there have been various theories of sociology of health and
illness established which can be analyzed with the detailed study.
Theoretical analysis:
Functionalism sociology of health and illness can be understood as an
interconnected system of institutions where all social institutions act as an integrated

diverse complex social force that encourages stable , valued and patterns of
behaviour in society. Family, education and religions are examples of social
institutions where medicine also plays an important role of social institution.
Functionalists think of society as working like an individual body with varied social
institutions each varying and performing particular functions and working together
with each other based on various fundamental issues. The theory explains all parts
of society have to work well for positively impacting the whole society .Role of
doctors and nurses in society can be understood as one of the most profound and
highly important role to serve patients and well care functions for providing safe
society standards (Lorne, Walshe and Coleman, 2019).
Conflict theory is another fundamental theory which views society from
perspective of competition of resources where sociologist explains health care as
itself fundamental resources and right. There are so many doctors and medical
treatments available in social standards which define various distribution of
healthcare which follows power differentials in society. The distribution of healthcare
trends to follow power differentials on aspects of people wealth or employability
being directly related to health care and quality of medical care they receive.
Discrimination are on various grounds in society as many cases have been found to
give black women less pain, medication than white women. Transgender people are
often refused medical services on various grounds, conflict theories examine medical
resource distribution and how power affects health and overall society balance
(Rashid and Abbasi, 2020). Social class group of people are neglected of high
quality treatments and medical facilities which disable them to receive adequate
medical care and nutrition. It also affects life expectancy while gender and race play
significant role in explaining healthcare inequality.
Symbolic interactionism is a detailed analysis of subjective understanding of
individual and society where approach explains social phenomenon and behaviour
pattern by considering ways through which social interactions are established in
communication patterns. Symbolic interactionists look at parameters of health and
illness ins society and the detailed meaning it emphasizes towards, healthcare
providers and patients interact in particular ways. Interactions are governed by social
norms and expectations which can be understood by differentiation on language,
symbols and settings of interactions. Social exchanges among patients and doctors

impact the psychological understanding on patients and the way their experiences
are established (Nowakowski and Sumerau., 2019).
Role of state and professionals
Author Raphael,Bryant and Rioux,(2019) explains role of state and
professions in management and health is highly important as the impact of these
professionals enable proper balance among all society and social classes must be in
proper balance. Socio determinants are environmental and the risk factors found in
living and working conditions including the parameters on which the distribution of
income, wealth and influence along with power influence their medical treatments.
These can be used to predict ones risk of contracting diseases , indicating
vulnerable consequences of injuries and less access to adequate healthcare than
those of higher class people. Discrimination and social class leads to inequalities in
health where doctors are variably prioritizing their cases to handle patients based on
various grounds and fundamental efficiency. Cultural and social influences related to
social construction of health are highly influential and important to establish an
equality and diversity among society which enable us to analyze the various grounds
of functional efficiency.
Cultural and societal influences on social construction of health
Social construction of health are interrelated with cultural and societal
influences among people as they determine the medical treatments and supply of
proper medical factors to all over society. The governments of countries have vivid
role to play and in providing equal parameter of treatments, medical facilities and all
health care practices must be governed equally to all society. Social construction of
health is highly important to create overall development among society grounds in an
economy as the health of one person also impacts family and various other people
living around in society. Social construction of health evolves ethical working
conditions by medical professionals in serving people and managing the health
parameters of people through various fundamental criteria (Short,2019). Doctors and
nurses should be skilled and advance dynamic capabilities must be there to handle
diversity of population within sick role of society, and they should hold ethics and
empathy to serve them profoundly. Healthcare practices must be practiced with
strong ethical values and conversation capabilities with all languages help sick

people. Social class and health inequality spreads negativity among people who cant
proper nutritional diet and take expensive treatments as proper measure and
treatments which enables them high quality medical care.
Concept of sick role
The sick role is concept that explains social aspects of becoming ill and the
various privileges, obligations of person which comes along. The sick person in
society is freed or exempt from carrying out normal roles which needs productive
energy and also they have the responsibility to cooperate with professionals in
medical care to get soon well. Sick role hold illness behaviour in their actions and
reactions due to less productive energy, less rational behaviour to work
fundamentally well towards their duties in respective lives. Author Wienroth, Pearce
and McKevitt, (2019) explains medical sociology have regarded sick role and the
people who are affected with illness or any disease with certain rights towards their
betterment and enabling them high comfortable living conditions. Rights are there
should not be any source of discrimination among them on any basis or social class
inequality on various perspectives which explain that the rational treatment must be
given to all patients. Leverage of proper facilities must be provided without any
sense of inequality among patients to create effective social structure. Sick role
governance enables people to bring equality within their treatments, leverage people
with strong medical facilities and also promote various aspects to bring equal social
class. Sick role explains devoid of any inequality people have the right to get equal
medical facilities and proper treatments.
CONCLUSION
The report can be concluded with detailed explanation on social class leads to
ineqaulitiues whcih is explained by various sociology theories such as functionlism
theory, conflict theory and symbolic interactionsim theory. Report can be concluded
with the role of state and health professionals in mangement health along with focus
towards social and cultural influences. Report concludes the various paramters on
whcih social constrcution on helath can be established for gaining strong working
ethics ampong medical staffs. Report concludes the role doctors and niurses to
provide equal medical traetemnts without any discrimination on any basis for
establsihing social class eqaulity. There are cases concluded of obesity people,

aged people who need to convince doctors for giving proper medical treatemnt whcih
craetes inequal social class standard. Report conlcudes the meaning of sick role,
benefits and obligations they posses alomng with deatiled analysis on various
griunds the traetmnets can levaerge proper ethics

REFRENCES
Books and Journals
Gottdiener, M., 2019. New urban sociology. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of
Urban and Regional Studies, pp.1-5.
Lorne, C., Walshe, K. and Coleman, A., 2019. Regional assemblage and the spatial
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Manchester, England. Sociology of health & illness. 41(7). pp.1236-
1250.
Nowakowski, A. C. and Sumerau, J. E., 2019. Reframing health and illness: a
collaborative autoethnography on the experience of health and illness
transformations in the life course. Sociology of health & illness. 41(4).
pp.723-739
Raphael, D., Bryant, T. and Rioux, M. eds., 2019. Staying alive: Critical perspectives
on health, illness, and health care. Canadian Scholars.
Rashid, M. A. U. H. and Abbasi, S. U. R. S., 2020. Theorizing Beta Thalassemia
Major: an Overview of Health Sociology. International and
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Wienroth, M., Pearce, C. and McKevitt, C., 2019. Research campaigns in the UK
National Health Service: patient recruitment and questions of
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