CMI Afternoon Seminar Series
| Dates: | 19 December 2017 |
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| Times: | 15:00 - 16:30 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Social Sciences |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public |
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| Speaker: | Prof. Piet Bracke |
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Prof. Piet Bracke, Ghent University
Abstract:
Educational health differences are consistent findings in social epidemiology and health sociology. The well-educated almost always fare better in terms of health and health-related outcomes, notwithstanding substantial variation across outcomes and across countries. In most of social epidemiological studies, differences in educational attainment are a proxy indicator for social inequality. Also, even when scholars are not interested in health inequalities as such, most of them include educational attainment as a control variable, in their analyses. Both strategies do not contribute to a more in-depth understanding of the relevance of education for health and illness. Finally, some health sociologists take the nexus between educational attainment and health more seriously, and explore the various paths through which educational attainment can contribute to better health. On average, the better educated are characterized by increased overall social competence or learned effectiveness, and by healthier life styles. Their capacity to turn credentials into better jobs, into more financial security, and into a lower risk of unemployment also contributes to their better health; a benefit that seems to accumulate with age. By viewing education from a human capital perspective, this third strategy tend to portray education as a social characteristic of individuals, rather than as a core institution of modern meritocratic societies. To these strategies I want to add a macro-sociological, institutional perspective to understand variation across time and space in the education-health nexus. An institutional perspective focuses on schools as organizations, on schooling systems and the reproduction of social inequality, and on educational policies amongst other. Taking an institutional approach opens a plethora of potentially interesting research questions, a few of which I want to present. In what follows, I will focus on (a) the potential impact of the expansion of tertiary education on population health; (b) education, social class reproduction, and the expansion of compulsory education; (d) age and cohort differences in educational health inequalities and the reversed gender gap in education; and (e) education, healthy life styles, and the fourth epidemiological transition. Answering these questions can also shed some light on ongoing discussions in the field of health sociology and social epidemiology, such as on the limits of comprehensive welfare states to further reduce health inequalities
Tea/coffee and cakes from 2.45.
All welcome. No registration necessary.
The Cathie Marsh Institute (CMI) provides a focal point at The University of Manchester for the application of quantitative methods in interdisciplinary social science research in order to generate a world class research environment.
Speaker
Prof. Piet Bracke
Role: Professor of Sociology
Organisation: Ghent University
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
CMI Seminar Room, 2.07
Humanities Bridgeford Street
Manchester
