Health and illness

SOCY121:
Core Concept 6

HEALTH INEQUALITIES

are a result of gender, race and class

differences among groups and
individuals. These differences are
socially determined and impact access
to health of minority groups (in SA this
is a majority) and thus leads to negative
health outcomes for these groups
Inequalities in health
 Health
 Race inequalities

 Gender

 Traditional vs Western
medicine
 Health inequalities
 Health inequalities: differences in access to, and the distribution of health provision and
services depends on birthplace, where one stays, works and one's age.

 Socio‐economic position of individuals determines experience and access to health.

 Social determinants of health include:

o Income levels
o Employment
o Levels of unemployment
o Education levels
o Lifestyle
o Behaviours
 Race and health inequality
 Race remains a significant factor for access to well‐being in post-1994 South Africa

 Socio-economic conditions impact black population (access to health):

o Poverty
o Unemployment
o Limited access to resources
o Visible in health status (e.g. HIV/aids 'status')

 Factors tied to mortality are mediated by race in South Africa, which are historically
determined resources and well‐being in S.A. white life expectancy is 50% more than blacks
 Mens health can also be undermined, even if patriarchy is at play, as masculinity is a sense
of the world held by both men and women.
SOME TABLES
 The Gini coefficient is the measure of
income inequality, ranging from 0 to 1,
with 0 representing a perfectly equal
society and 1 representing a perfectly
unequal society.

The World Bank’s latest South Africa Economic

Update, which focuses on the theme of jobs and
inequality, notes that, at 0.63, South Africa’s 2015
Gini coefficient was the highest internationally
and inequality worsened since 1994, despite a
decline in poverty.
 Gender and health inequality
 Patriarchy or ruling masculinity do not necessarily benefit all men

 Ruling masculinity:
A sense of the world that shape how men behave, think and relate to others, and when and
how they die.

 Social factors explaining why men live and die:

o Employment – direct risk to life (e.g.: soldiers, fire fighters)
o Risk taking behavior – fighting, multiple sexual partners, dangerous sports
o Alcohol
 Gender and health inequality
 Women’s health needs are not necessarily equitably catered for

 Historically barred from access to economic resources

 Majority of them are poor (feminisation of poverty)

Core Concept 7
Traditional medicine (Ferrante: 289;
Stewart and Zaaiman: 444-449).
Diverse health practices, approaches,
knowledge and beliefs incorporating
plant, animal and/or mineral based
medicines, spiritual therapies, manual
techniques and exercises applied to
maintain well-being and to treat,
diagnose or prevent illness for humans.
Two forms exist: traditional healing and African cosmology:
The latter has been eroded and the former still exists.

African views on disease causation: Naturalistic or

Supernatural.

For Naturalism: natural forces cause disease: body imbalances.

Great knowledge exists of beneficial herbs, roots & berries.

Illness is a progression rather than a symptom and reaction is

in
accordance with the cause.

Unusual diseases: western science seeks explanations by germ theory or fungal infection. African
traditional systems reject chance or accident of misfortune.

Active psychological agent that is human, sorcerer or non-human agent (spirit or ancestor) or
Super-deity or powerful being) intervenes.

Multiple causes: immediate cause: what was done and who did it to the person.
efficient cause: who or what did it to the victim
ultimate cause: why it happened to a specific person
 Traditional & alternative health
Supernatural (personalistic) view: healers have specialist or magical skills to determine the who
and why of an illness rather than just to discern the immediate cause.

5 cultural aspects of illness: spirit possession, sorcery, pollution, ancestral displeasure, disregard of
cultural norms. Traditional treatment is holisitic as it is comprehensive for healing and curing.

llness due to disturbance/imbalance: due to psychological, physical, material, interpersonal or

spiritual reasons.

Cures are: blood cleansing, charms, incisions, sacrifice or prayer & piercing (African acupunture)

The Traditional Healers Act 22 (2001) identifies 4 types of traditional healers:

• Diviners diagnose mysteries (via bone throwing, clairvoyance or in by dreams or visions).
• Herbalists: extensive magical powers (no occult powers).
• Apprenticed by experts in the field.
• Faith healers are syncretic to reincorporate Christianity and traditional culture.

Despite legal and Christian view of such healing having no ‘existence’, it survives in S.A.
Complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) also exist that is outside the conventional medicine

(see Stewart and Zaaiman: pp: 448-449).

Links between health as a human rights (Stewart & Zaaiman: 440
 Useful videos

Sociological imagination
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BINK6r1Wy78
 Key terms
• Antiretroviral Inequality • Sick role
• Deviance Life expectancy • Social determinants
• Excluded of health
Masculinity
• Feminisation of poverty • Stereotyping
Paradigms or theories
• Health • Stigma
Patriarchy Race
• Health inequalities • Theories
Ruling • Traditional medicine
• Value‐laden