Risk Perception
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RA ▶ Degenerative Diseases: Joint ▶ Rheumatoid Arthritis: Psychosocial Aspects
Racial Inequality in Economic and Social Well-Being Kristine M. Molina Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
Synonyms Racial/ethnic disparities; Social health
Definition Racial inequalities in economic and social well-being refer to disparities or disproportionate differences between racial/ethnic groups in key areas (e.g., educational achievement, health status, housing quality) that shape a person’s/groups’ opportunities and chances for optimal functioning in society (Blank, 2001).
Description Generally, indicators of economic and social well-being in the literature have included
educational attainment, labor markets, economic status, health status, crime and criminal justice, and housing. As in many other aspects of our society, race/ethnicity remains a significant predictor of well-being. Economic and social well-being are socially patterned. In comparison with Whites, racial/ethnic minorities experience disproportionate lower (i.e., worse) rates on some of the aforementioned indicators. For example, racial/ethnic inequalities in educational attainment (e.g., high school completion, college graduation) are prevalent for African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics/Latinos compared with Whites, even though educational attainment for African Americans/Blacks has increased considerably in recent years. Of significance is that no improvements have been noted in racial inequalities for family income, the most widely used measure of overall economic well-being (Blank, 2001). Although racial inequalities in economic and social well-being exist, with certain racial/ethnic groups (e.g., African Americans/Blacks; Latinos/ Hispanics) being persistently disadvantaged in a number of areas, it has generally been assumed that all racial/ethnic groups experience these inequalities in a uniform manner. In fact, however, not only are there differences between racial/ethnic minority groups and majority racial/ ethnic groups, there are also differences between and within racial/ethnic minority groups (Nazroo, 2003). For example, although also considered to be racial/ethnic minorities, Asian and Pacific Islanders, unlike African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics/Latinos, typically tend to do as well as
M.D. Gellman & J.R. Turner (eds.), Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9, # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
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Whites on many measures of well-being (Blank, 2001). Likewise, although Hispanics/Latinos tend to experience inequalities in most measures of economic well-being, some subgroups of Hispanics/Latinos (e.g., Cubans) tend to fare better than others (e.g., Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans) on these same measures. Limited data exist to account for the heterogeneity that exists within racial/ethnic groups when conducting health research. Nonetheless, as a whole, racial/ethnic minorities (primarily African Americans/Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, and American Indians/Alaskan Natives) ten
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