Social position can affects a person's risk for health problems as well as the quality and quantity of health care. Hollingshead developed an index for social position based on occupation and education. The author was at Yale University.
|
Scale |
Status |
Score |
|
occupation |
higher executive, proprietor of a large concern, major professional |
1 |
|
|
business manager, proprietor of a medium-sized business, lesser professional |
2 |
|
|
administrative personnel, proprietor of a small independent business, minor professional |
3 |
|
|
clerical and sales worker, owner of a little business, technician |
4 |
|
|
skilled manual employee |
5 |
|
|
machine operator, semi-skilled employee |
6 |
|
|
unskilled employee, on welfare, or unemployed |
7 |
|
education |
graduate professional training |
1 |
|
|
standard college or university graduate |
2 |
|
|
partial college training |
3 |
|
|
high school graduate |
4 |
|
|
partial high school training |
5 |
|
|
junior high school (7th to 9th grade) |
6 |
|
|
less than 7 years of schooling |
7 |
social score =
= ((occupation scale score) * 7) + ((education scale score) * 4)
where:
• 7 is the factor weight for occupation
• 4 is the factor weight for education
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 11
• maximum score: 77
• The higher the score, the lower the ranking in social position.
|
Social Score |
Social Class |
|
11 – 17 |
I |
|
18 – 27 |
II |
|
28 – 43 |
III |
|
44 – 60 |
IV |
|
61 - 77 |
V |
Limitations:
• The scales seem appropriate for a small to medium sized community, but may start to breakdown in larger communities.
• The highest occupational status does not recognize positions like CEO of a multinational corporation, President of a country, etc.
• The highest education status does not recognize positions like university professor or Dean, who might be viewed by some as having a higher status.
• The lowest occupational status includes the unemployed and a person on welfare as well as employed unskilled workers.
• The interest in social class seems less in the early 21st Century.
Specialty: Emergency Medicine, Critical Care
ICD-10: ,
