How to Study and Understand Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health

Abstract

Socioeconomic position (SEP) is a major fault line in contemporary societies that plays an important role in many aspects of people’s life chances, including their health. In this chapter, approaches and challenges to studying and understanding SEP and the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on health and society are discussed. Various explanations for socioeconomic inequalities are presented with an emphasis on the importance of considering factors at multiple levels, including cultural, psychosocial, material, behavioural, and environmental factors. Special attention is given to the influence of SEP-related stereotypes on solidarity and policymakers’ willingness to implement certain policies. This chapter discusses the complexity involved in measuring and explaining socioeconomic inequalities in health and how individual and structural approaches to address these inequalities can impact social justice.