structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare

It is not only the poor who suffer from the conflict between dominant and subordinate groups. In the United States, a disproportionate number of racial minorities also have less economic power, so they bear a great deal of the burden of poor health. When health is a commodity, the poor are more likely to experience illness caused by inadequate diet, to live and work in unhealthy environments, and are less likely to challenge the system or its authority. This creates strife within the larger healthcare system and also results in personal health disparities between the dominant and subordinate groups. The inequality that is seen in other spheres and institutions is pervasive in healthcare access, further accumulating disadvantage to already subordinate groups.Īlongside the health disparities created by class inequalities, there are a number of health inequalities created by racism, sexism, ageism, and LGBTQ+ discrimination.

They therefore control the degree to which the individuals and groups without political and economic power will remain subordinate. In this view, people with money and power-the dominant group-are the ones who make decisions about how the healthcare system will be run. According to conflict theorists, capitalism and the pursuit of profit lead to the commodification of health: the changing of something not generally thought of as an abstract object into something that can be bought and sold in a marketplace in order to create profit for someone somewhere. Theorists using the conflict perspective suggest that issues with the healthcare system, as with most other social problems, are rooted in capitalist society. But is it appropriate to allow doctors so broad discretion in deciding who is and is not sick? And what about people who are sick, but are unwilling to leave their positions for any number of reasons (e.g., personal/social obligations, financial need, or lack of insurance)? Moreover, medical providers function as dispensers of resources for the healing of the sick. In this model, doctors serve as gatekeepers, deciding who is healthy and who is sick-a relationship in which the doctor has all the power. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary for various forms of social control to bring the behavior of a sick person back in line with normal expectations. Parsons argues that since the sick are unable to fulfill their normal societal roles, their sickness weakens the society. If the sick person stays ill longer than is appropriate (malingers), they may be stigmatized. The responsibility of the sick person is twofold: to try to get well and to seek technically competent help from a physician. The exemption also requires legitimization by a physician that is, a physician must certify that the illness is genuine. However, this exemption is temporary and relative to the severity of the illness. The sick person also has the right of being exempt from normal social roles they are not required to fulfill the obligation of a well person and can avoid normal responsibilities without censure. To start with, they have not chosen to be sick and should not be treated as responsible for their condition. Talcott Parsons (1951) was the first to discuss this in terms of the sick role: patterns of expectations that define appropriate behavior for the sick and for those who take care of them.Īccording to Parsons, the sick person has a specific role with both rights and responsibilities. FunctionalismĪccording to the functionalist perspective, health is vital to the stability of the society, and therefore sickness is a sanctioned form of deviance.

You may prefer just one of the theories that follow, or you may find that combining theories and perspectives provides a fuller and more accurate picture of how we experience and understand health and wellness. Apply functionalist, conflict theorist, and symbolic interactionist perspectives to health issuesĮach of the three major sociological theoretical perspectives approach the topics of health, illness, and medicine differently.

Structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare