Marxist Theory (Karl Marx)
Marxist Theory (Karl Marx) is concerned with social tensions. The Theory proposes that society is divided into two classes: those who own the means of production and those who sell their labor. Due to the importance of basic needs such as clothing, beverages, food, and shelter, Marx proposes that everyone in society must join a social group to meet those needs. As a result of the nature of these social divisions, differences emerge, resulting in advantages and disadvantages for various groups of citizens. Some drawbacks can include illness and poverty, while advantages are often linked to income. For this reason, the Marxist Theory is one of the best perspectives that describe the relationship between social class and health. There are various strengths to this reason.
Primary strengths of the Marxist perspective
One of the primary strengths of the Marxist perspective in describing the relationship between social class and health is that it explains social life by attempting to explain the inequalities of class, gender, money, and age in most accurate ways. The inequalities in these classes in the society in return explain the existing inequalities in the health of people among these classes. According to Schaff (2013) in the article “The Marxist theory of social development on Marxist’s perspective,” people belonging to the low class in the society work hard on a daily basis yet they still live in poverty. This situation predisposes them to unhealthy behavior such as drug abuse, alcoholism, and smoking.
Nutritional deficiencies and inadequate wages
Another reasoning in Marxist theory that makes the perspective strong in describing the relationship between social class and health is that people from the low class are paid fewer salaries and wages that are insufficient to access nutritious food and well-balanced diets (Farris, 2016). As such, they are exposed to nutritional deficiencies such as obesity. The Marxist theoretical perspective best describes the relationship between social class and health because of its view of the society as existing in conflict. Some strengths to this thought include the low class’ exposure to unhealthy conditions and their inadequate wages to afford health food.
References
Farris, S. R. (2016). Returns of Marxism. Marxist Theory in a Time of Crisis (edited by Sara R. Farris).
Schaff, A. (2013). The Marxist theory of social development. Eisenstadt, SN, 71-94.
