Discuss the relationships between occupation, income, and health. Include a discussion of the shift in types of occupation, in particular, the growth of the service sector.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Varies. Many of the jobs created in the 1980s and 1990s were positions in the service sector, which includes retail sales and food service. While the quantity of jobs created in this period helped push down the unemployment rate, the quality of jobs created for those with less education was not on par with many of the jobs lost as U.S. manufacturing became automated or moved overseas. Many service sector jobs pay wages at or just above minimum wage and have been increasingly unlikely to offer employer benefits such as health insurance. Perhaps predictably, data show a powerful relationship between health and class status. Empirical data show that those with greater income and education are less likely than their less well-off peers to have and die of heart disease, diabetes, and many types of cancer. Just as income is distributed unevenly in the population, so is good health. Could also discuss food deserts.