Health Inequalities in the United Kingdom - Essay Example

Today, there is little doubt that health has become an important determinant of the social well being of the people and therefore also of the nation. In simple words, one can define health inequality as the absence of equal health facilities. But the definition of the term ‘health inequality’ is much broad and complex. The theorists link the definition of health inequalities with the social class and social strata. Whitehead, on his celebrated paper “The Concepts and Principles of Equity in Health”, defined the concept as the differences in health that are avoidable, unfair and unnecessary.

Also, he maintained that the concept of health inequality has been a topic of constant debate in Europe (Whitehead, 1992). According to few of the other experts of the field, the equality essentially involve absence of systematic disparities in health among the various social groups that have different social merits or demerits as health inequalities generally affect those who are already in the disadvantageous position in the society (Braveman & Gruskin, 2007). The modern research has proved it time and again that the health inequalities largely depend upon the social classes and social inequalities.

It has been observed that more deprived the class, more prevalent is the inequalities in health. Karl Marx, the celebrated Communist theorist had two specific factors in his definition of class. The first is that of objective factors (this defines the relationship of one with the means of production) and the second involves subjective factors (it is the common interest among the members of the society). Max Weber, on the other hand, developed three component theory of stratification with extreme emphasis upon class, status and politics.

He thought the relationship between the three factors varies from society to society. Social class and health are closely related. As social class is often associated with one’s economic and