Education, Health, and Medicine Chapter 14 Education, Health, and Medicine

Education vs. Schooling The social institution through which society provides its members important knowledge Including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values Schooling–Formal instruction under the direction of specially trained teachers © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Schooling and Economic Development India Most poor families depend on children’s earnings Many Indians see less reason to educate girls © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Schooling and Economic Development Japan Produces high achievers, and students take difficult exams Only half of high school graduates enter college © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Schooling and Economic Development The United States Equal opportunity and practical learning The United States was among the first countries to set a goal of mass education © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Illiteracy in Global Perspective © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Functions of Schooling Socialization Primary schooling: Basic language and mathematical skills Secondary schooling: Expansion of basic skills to include cultural values and norms © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Functions of Schooling Cultural innovation Educational systems create as well as transmit culture Social integration Brings a diverse nation together Social placement The enhancement of meritocracy © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Latent Functions of Schooling Schools as child-care providers Engages young people at a time in their lives when jobs are not plentiful Sets the stage for establishing relationships & networks Link between particular schools and career opportunities © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critical Analysis Functionalist approach overlooks that the School quality is greater for some than others US educational system reproduces the class structure in each generation System transforms privilege into personal worthiness and social disadvantage Into personal deficiency © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Schooling and Social Interaction Self-fulfilling prophecy Blue-eye/Brown-eye experiment with 4th grade students in 1968 Harmful effects of stereotypes Critical Analysis Beliefs about inferiority and superiority are built into existing systems of inequality. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Schooling and Social Inequality Social control Schooling reinforces the status quo. Bowles & Gintis: The 19th-century rise of public education came when factory owners Needed obedient, disciplined workers Standardized testing Biased based on race, ethnicity, or class? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Schooling and Social Inequality School tracking Tracking–Assigning students to different types of educational programs Disadvantaged students typically end up in lower tracks School inequality Public vs. private schools; not all the same © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critical Analysis Social-conflict approach minimizes extent schooling enhances upward social mobility For talented men & women from all backgrounds Today’s college curricula (including sociology courses) Challenges social inequity on many fronts © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Teachers’ Salaries across the United States © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Access to Higher Education Money is largest stumbling block to higher education Family income is still best predictor for college attendance Those with the most schooling are likely to Come from relatively well-off families to begin with © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Educational Achievement for Various Categories of People, Aged 25 Years and Over, 2010 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Expanding Higher Education Government makes money available to help certain people pay for college Community colleges Low tuition Special importance for minorities Attract students from abroad Faculty focuses on teaching © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Problems in Schools Discipline and violence Student passivity Many believe schools need to teach discipline because it isn’t addressed within home setting Students and teachers are assaulted Weapons; society’s problems spill to schools Student passivity Many students are bored © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

College: The Silent Classroom Passivity is also common among college and university students Karp and Yoels: Most students think classroom passivity is their fault Students find little value in classroom discussion © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Dropping Out The dropout rate has declined slightly in recent decades Dropping out is least pronounced among non-Hispanic whites Researchers: Actual dropout rates are probably 2x government's numbers © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Dropping Out Some reasons for dropping out: Problems with the English language Pregnancy Must work to help support their family © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Academic Standards Functional illiteracy–A lack of reading and writing skills needed for everyday living The US spends more on schooling than almost any other country Teens still show low science and math skills © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Academic Standards US students generally are less motivated & do less homework than Japanese Japanese students spend 60 more days in school each year than US students © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

School Choice Pro: School choice creates a market for schooling so parents and students can Shop for the best value Con: Such programs erode national commitment to public education, Especially in urban schools © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

School Choice Magnet schools Special facilities & programs to promote educational excellence in a particular area Charter schools–Public schools with more freedom to try new policies and programs Schooling for profit–School systems operated by private, for-profit companies © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Home Schooling Gaining popularity Involves more school-age children than Magnet schools, charter schools, and for- profit schools combined Pro: Better results Con: “Takes some of the most affluent and articulate parents out of the system” © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Schooling People with Disabilities Half of children with disabilities are in special facilities; rest attend public schools Mainstreaming Integrating students with disabilities or special needs into the overall educational program Works best for physically impaired students who can keep up academically © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Adult Education Adults return to the classroom to advance a career or train for a new job But many also point to the simple goal of personal enrichment © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Teacher Shortage School adopted new recruitment strategies Incentives: Higher salaries and signing bonuses States could make certification easier School districts are actively recruiting in such countries as: Spain, India, and the Philippines © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Schooling: Looking Ahead The last decade has seen many new ideas about schooling Significant changes in mass education New information technology will reshape schools Won’t solve all the problems, including violence and rigid bureaucracy © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Health Health is as much a social as a biological issue Patterns of well-being and illness are rooted in social organization © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Health and Society Cultural patterns define health Cultural standards of health change over time A society’s technology affects people’s health Social inequality affects people’s health © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Health: A Global Survey Health in low-income countries Relatively short life expectancy Most die before reaching their teens Poor sanitation is a killer © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Health: A Global Survey Health in high-income countries By the early 20th century, death rates from infectious diseases had fallen sharply Now chronic illnesses cause most deaths, usually in old age © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Who Is Healthy? Social epidemiology Factors include: Study of how health and disease are distributed throughout a society’s population Factors include: Age, gender, social class, race © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Age & Gender Death is now rare among young people Across the life course, women fare better than men Males are socialized to be more aggressive and individualistic Which contributes to their higher rates of accidents, violence, and suicide © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Class and Race Higher income and wealth boosts health: Better nutrition Better health care Safer and less stressful surroundings © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Class and Race Infant mortality Twice as high for disadvantaged children as for children born into privileged families. Poorest US children are as vulnerable to disease as those in low-income nations © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cigarette Smoking Most preventable health hazard By 2007, only 20% of Americans smoke Smokers: Divorced, separated, unemployed, in the military, and less schooling © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cigarette Smoking 440,000 people die prematurely each year as a direct result of smoking Exceeding the combined deaths from Alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, auto accidents, and AIDS © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Eating Disorders Most of those suffering from anorexia and bulimia are white, affluent women Research: Most college-age women believe that “guys like thin girls” Men typically express more satisfaction with their body shape © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Obesity Many adults are overweight Obesity can limit physical activity and raises the risk of serious diseases Odds of being overweight go up among people with lower incomes Social causes of obesity Lack of physical activity; poor diet © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Obesity across the United States, 1996 and 2010 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases 1960s sexual revolution saw a rise in STD rates, generated sexual counter-revolution Because our culture associates sex with sin, some people regard STDs as immoral Gonorrhea & syphilis Genital herpes AIDS © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

HIV/AIDS Infection of Adults in Global Perspective © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethics & Death When does death occur? Do people have the right to die? An irreversible state involving no response to stimulation, no movement or breathing, No reflexes, and no indication of brain activity Do people have the right to die? About 10,000 Americans are in a permanent “vegetative state” © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethics & Death What about mercy killing? Euthanasia–Assisting in the death of a person suffering from an incurable disease Active euthanasia–Allowing a physician to help a sick person die © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Medical Establishment Medicine–Social institution that focuses on fighting disease and improving health The rise of scientific medicine American Medical Association founded in 1847 © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Medical Establishment Healers kept tradition but occupy lesser role Chiropractors, herbalists, midwives Conflict between scientific medicine and traditional healing continues today © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Holistic Medicine Holistic medicine–An approach to health care that emphasizes prevention of illness And takes into account a person’s entire physical and social environment © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Holistic Medicine Three foundations of holistic health care: Treat patients as people Encourage responsibility, not dependency Provide personal treatment © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Medicine in Socialist Nations China Government controls most health care operations “Barefoot doctors” in rural areas practice traditional healing arts © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Medicine in Socialist Nations Russian Federation Medical care is in transition, but all citizens have a right to basic medical care Setbacks in health care, partly because of a falling standard of living © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Medicine in Capitalist Societies Sweden Socialized medicine–A medical care system in which the government owns & operates most Medical facilities and employs most physicians Great Britain Also has socialized medicine, but citizens may choose public or private health care. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Medicine in Capitalist Societies Canada Single-payer model; government is like an insurance company Japan Doctors operate privately, but government pays most expenses © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Paying for Care in the US Direct fee system–Medical care system; patients pay directly for medical services Private insurance: Few programs pay all costs Public insurance programs Medicare for those over 65 Medicaid for impoverished and veterans © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Extent of Socialized Medicine in Selected Countries © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Paying for Care in the US Health maintenance organizations An organization that provides comprehensive medical care to subscribers for a fixed fee The 2010 Health Care law Made significant changes to the way this country pays for health care © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nursing Shortage Shortage of nurses as fewer people enter the profession Heavy patient loads, too much overtime, stressful work environment, lack of respect Working nurses say they wouldn’t recommend the field to others © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Theoretical Analysis Structural-functional analysis: Parsons’ role theory Sick role–Patterns of behavior defined as appropriate for people who are ill Doctors expect patients to cooperate © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Theoretical Analysis Symbolic-interaction analysis: Meaning of health Ideas of health and stress are socially constructed How people define a condition might actually affect how they feel Surgery can affect social identity © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Theoretical Analysis Social-conflict analysis: Health and inequality Access to medical care, the effects of the profit motive, and the politics of medicine © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Future of Health and Medicine Today, Americans take good health and long life for granted Individuals taking responsibility for their own health Double standard of health between rich and poor people Problems greater in low-income countries © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.