These are a few potential links between social inequalities and the health of the population: income and wealth distribution, unemployment, the ageing society, gender and health, mental illness and suicide and disability and dysfunction. I am going to discuss each of these and see the health impact on people in each group. Income and wealth distribution: comparing the differences in levels of income and wealth between different social groups help measure inequalities in society. The income is a regular flow of money earned by someone working or from someone’s benefits, pension or their savings.

Wealth is defined on property, shares or other belongings that could be sold to make an income. This is very hard to measure accurately and to define. There is not date on income levels that are both easily available and reliable. Date from the government has shown that the income and wealth of the population is distributed unfairly. A massive report by the labour government showed that in 2010 the richest 10percent of the population are now 100percent better off the poorest. Since 1980 over the last 30years Britain has become more unequal than ever before.

It is a fact that there have been a number of major studies alongside major reviews of the social factors of health, which have confirmed a clear link between socio-economic background such as income or occupation and health. The most recent of these, the Marmot Review, found that in England, people living in the poorest neighbourhoods will, on average, die seven years earlier than people living in the richest neighbourhoods (Marmot, 2010). These health inequalities are not just limited to life expectancy but also infant mortality, mental health, physical health and so on.

Unemployment, especially long term unemployment is closely linked with issues to do with poverty. Rowntree’s concept of the poverty line is linked with the state benefits and why they are kept so low. Benefits are a direct cost of taxpayers and that is why putting taxes up is highly unpopular. It is on-going concerns that people who are on benefits should not be able to earn more money than they would be able to if they had a paying job. The long term unemployed suffer because discrimination, marginalisation, prejudice and social exclusion because of this as well as suffering the impact of poverty.

The negative health effects of unemployment have been studied broadly and unemployment has been linked with increased mortality, worse mental health status, higher morbidity, long term illness and increased exposure to lifestyle related risk factors. The relationship between unemployment and negative health outcomes is complex as each individual will experience unemployment differently and a number of factors such as education, socio economic status, gender, age, social and family support, the health system and state support may be interacting with the effects that unemployment will have on health.

The ageing society: social statues increasing with age in a lot of societies. In most families the older people have an important role and a higher status within their families and wider communities. Older people are treated with the most respect in many parts of Africa, china and on the Indian subcontinent. However older people have an uncertain position in society in Britain. Some many feel because they don’t work they have less of a stake in society and therefore are less important. A lot of the time older people are unclear of what their new role in society is meant to be.

There is evidence that shows older people are discriminated against. In 2006, the Age Discrimination Act was passed. This was due to the extent of discrimination that old people were getting. The government has looked in to the incidence of poverty among old people compared to the whole population. However due to resent research it is found that poverty if no evenly spread between the elderly people within our society. The research showed the risk of having a low income after the age of 60 were related to continuity of employment and occupational group.

People were less likely to face poor retirement if they worked in managerial or professional jobs than someone who worked in unskilled or manual occupations. This is because the people who worked in manual would have earned lower wages and would not be as likely to get a private pension. Men that are in the professional classes have a life expectancy of 80 years from birth. However men from unskilled or manual classes have a life expectancy of 78. 1 years. This also effects woman’s life expectancy as woman from professional classes have a life expectancy of 85. 1 compared to those who are in the unskilled or manual classes and their life expectancy if 78. 1 years.

Causes of death also vary from different social classes. In the higher social classes it is less likely to suffer from, lung cancer, coronary heart disease, stokes and respiratory diseases. All of these increase within social disadvantages. Gender and health are most likely the most noticeable social changes since the Second World War. Since the Second World War women role in society has changed massively. Women are seen more equally now in most societies and private sphere of their families.

An example of this is more woman now carry on in full-time work after marriage and having children, also they are taking more of an outstanding role within their communities and public life. Even though these changes have been made there is evidence to show that there are still inequalities still exist between men and women. The hourly rate of pay for men is still higher then woman’s despite equality legislations. Woman are still seen to have most responsibility for the family and household even though the change in attitudes and evidence show that men take a fuller part in housework and childcare then in the past.

There is a difference in the life expectance and health in old age between men and woman. The life expectancy for woman born between 2006 and 2008 is 81. 6years but for men its only 77. 4years. woman are expected to live longer than men but also are expected to spend more years in poor health or are more likely to suffer with a disability. More woman than man are more likely to suffer with rheumatism and arthritis. For people age between 65 and 74 to suffer with these conditions was a rate of 144per 1,000 and a much higher 229 per 1,000 woman in the UK.

Even though the death rate for circulatory diseases which includes strokes and heart diseases have declined, it is still considerably lower for woman then men. In 2006 1,559 per million woman and 2,461 per men died from circulatory diseases. Mental illness and suicide: mental illness is difficult to monitor because it is difficult to define what it actually is. From one society to another what is seen to be normal and acceptable changes. The evidence available is derived largely from medical statistics and the number of people who present themselves for treatment on record.

On the other hand there may be a lot of people with mental health issues that no not seek professional help and there are many reasons for this. A lot of people don’t see themselves as being mental health and just put it down to having a bad time or a period of bad luck, you cannot always be happy and have things the way you want them. Some people feel like there is a particular shame associated with mental illness and they do not link it with physical illness, therefore they may not want to admit they have mental health problems.

Others don’t seek professional health because they are worried being diagnosed phobic or depressed will affect their employment prospects. The reasons for this concern are that people with mental health along with those with disabilities have the highest rate of unemployment. The most common types of mental health are: phobias, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorders. In some cases there can be difficulties defining what mental illness someone is suffering with and therefore this can lead to problems monitoring and measuring their mental ill health levels.

There is evidence that shows the most deprived and poorest people have the highest incidence of mental illness. The social exclusion unit report ‘rough sleeping’ (1998) it is estimated that around half the people that sleep rough every night have mental health issues but most of them do not get treatment. An estimate of one in two people has or had a serious alcohol problem and one in five misused drugs. The National Institute for Health and Clinical excellence (NICE) reports that in incidence of anorexia nervosa is around 19 per 100.000 of the population per year for woman and 2per 100,000 per year for men.

The recorded rate of anxiety and depression is 11. 2percent in woman, compared to 7. 2percent in men. Lone mothers have particularly high rates of recorded mental illness. Disability and dysfunction: many people that have disabilities were cared for in big hospitals or institutions and were invisible too much of society until just recently. The community care act (1990) made the number of people with disabilities being cared for and supported in the community instead of big institutions higher.

The disability discrimination act (1995) gave legal protection from discrimination in access to public buildings, in renting properties and employment. Despite all this people with disabilities are more likely to: be without paid employment, be without the necessary social support to live full lives, have difficulty in accessing public transport and public buildings and be on low incomes. The poverty rates for adults with disabilities are double the amount of those without disabilities.

The main reason for this is even though the disability discrimination act, the rate of employment for people with disabilities is high. This is compared with one in 15 people without a disability. However people that have disabilities get charged extra costs that’s linked to managing their impairment, these are things like: playing for adaptations to their homes, social care support and other communication and mobility aids. In 2009 Disability Alliance launched a manifesto of recommendations for routes out of poverty, with the aim of elimination disability poverty by 2025.