John Conley Sociology

494 Words2 Pages

According to Conley, Poverty can be defined as “a condition of deprivation due to economic circumstances” that is severe enough that the person in this condition cannot live with dignity in his or her society. The culture of poverty theory argues that poor people adopt certain practices, which differ from those of middle-class, “mainstream” society, in order to become accustomed and survive in difficult economic situations. Therefore, I strongly agree with the statement “A person’s health varies depending on the social and ethnic groups to which he or she belongs” because if you are living under a low class social status or being part of a racial minority, it will definitely have impacts or influence a person’s health and longevity. In case …show more content…

It is very essential concerning the discussion of race because on average in our society, socioeconomic status differs by race. Like Conley reported on page 423 of the book, in US Whites hold a significant advantage in longevity, having a life expectancy at birth of 79.0 as compared to African Americans with 75.3. This difference is seen as a sign of social inequality and also a major social problem. On average, Blacks have lower levels of income, lower levels of wealth, and lower levels of education than whites do. And for other minority populations, a similar pattern is also evident. Portions of racial differences we see are not due to skin color, but rather the fact that disadvantaged minority populations have fewer economic resources than whites do. Then again, absolutely this does not represent every one of them. At each level of financial status, Blacks are as yet accomplishing more ineffectively than whites. For instance, as a woman education level builds, the birth outcomes for her children get better, and that is the expected. According to Conley on page 425, on average, the highly educated individuals enjoy longer life expectancy. People with higher education basically eat healthier and exercise more often, they also smoke less. These individuals have more knowledge or information to work with in regards to their personal health choices and interactions with the health