Running head: MY WORLDVIEW

My Worldview
Maryanna Sarkissian
Health, Happiness, and Human Rights
Dr. Neighworth
Portland State University
October 7, 2015

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My Worldview
In recent discussions of universal health inequalities across the nations, a controversial
issue has been whether or not action is needed to tackle the social gradient in health. On one
hand, some individuals, such as politicians and others of high power, believe that the gradient in
health is only a minor issue that does not involve the social position of an individual. On the
other hand, however, others argue that there is a major social gradient in health- the lower a
persons social position; the worse is his or her well-being. In the words of The Marmot Review,
inequalities in health arise because of inequalities in society. The imbalance of conditions as to
where people are born, grow, live, and work contributes to the overall health of an individual.
My own view is that the differences of power and wealth among communities and
individuals do tend play an immense role in ones health. For example, take two individuals from
two different social groups, a legislator and a man that is unemployed and living on welfare. The
legislator occupies a larger salary, meaning that he is more than capable of affording a top-of-theline health plan and is able to attend to a doctor when problems arise. The unemployed man,
however, does not have the ability to afford any medical care, meaning that he has to live
through any complications without having anyone to turn to. His living conditions are also
considerably poorer, unable to afford anything in a better community, worsening the over all
well-being of the individual. The Department of Health concluded that, In England, people
living in the poorest neighborhoods, will, on average, die seven years earlier than people living
in the richest neighborhoods. (The Marmot Review, 2010).
I am able to connect with this point because I also did not grow up in a very wealthy
family. Both of my parents came to the United States twenty years ago with nothing but a

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suitcase and each other. It was a struggle to get themselves on their feet without knowing much
of the language, but they did, working long days and nights in order to survive. Work took a
definite toll on their overall health, but they were eventually able to provide for a family of their
own. We were raised with work being the first word in our dictionary, understanding that we
were not as financially privileged as others. My father was unable to seek medical attention when
times called because he had no medical insurance. It was a matter of life or death. It was easy to
understand at a young age that the higher ones social position, the better ones health is likely to
be.
Individuals are unable to comprehend how big the social gradient in health actually is.
Action should focus on reducing this gradient and connecting the people to a common ground.
Greater intensity of action is likely to be needed for those with greater social and economic
disadvantage, but focusing solely on the most disadvantaged will not reduce the health gradient,
and will only tackle a small part of the problem. (The Marmot Review, 2010). Take the book
called The Glass Castle, for example. Jeannette is a young girl telling her story about the
struggles her and her family had to live through simply because they were socially and
economically disadvantaged. They were forced to sleep under the stars and eat whatever was
thrown their way. Unable to afford any more than a loaf of bread, you can only assume that their
overall health was in a definite poor state.
The social gradient in health is real. Its a problem that we will be facing for many more
years to come unless promptly addressed. Social and economic differences in health status
reflect, and are caused by, social and economic inequalities in society. A child is not able to
choose whether or not he will be born into a socially and economically adequate family. It is not
up to him to decide whether or not he will have the same health opportunities as others and is

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able to take care of his well-being. Everyone has to have an equal right at good health. A simple
human right that should not be denied to anyone, not even someone from the poorest region of
the world.

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References
The Marmot Review. (2010). Fair Society, Healthy Lives Executive Summary.
Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle. London: Virago, 2005. Print.