Lifespan disparity is the variation in the lifespan distribution—that is, the differences in the length of life across members of a population. There has been a lot of evidence relating disparities in life to the kind of society and place of residence of an individual. As we know, the gap between the rich and the poor is widening every day. This is one of the prime effects that forces us to focus on the increasing lifespan disparity from city to city, why place of residence influences longevity for the poor but not the rich, and how the effect comes into place.
Daniel Kim, an associate professor in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at the Northeastern University, described this phenomenon as nothing new. He explained that the societal conditions vary largely from one place to the other. The laws that provide health benefits in one city might be different in another city. The culture of food also varies from one society to another. It may also be a factor to be considered that the eating habits and the living places of the poor people overrule the health benefits that are provided to them by the lawmakers. The dwellings of the rich and the poor also point towards the unequal distribution of environmental health hazards and access to health services between demographic groups, including social classes.
Income inequality is another important factor in the differences in lifespan disparity around the globe. A person’s social class has a significant impact on their physical health, their ability to receive adequate medical care and nutrition, and their life expectancy. Due to limited education of the poor people, it is a given judgment that their financial condition is any better than their social and economic status in the society.
Many other factors like mental health, physical ability, religion, criminal justice, lack of adequate education or illiteracy, and family life contribute towards one’s social class. This social class reflects the varying lifespan disparity and its shortcomings and trends from one place to another.
Dibyasha Das