Abstract
Understanding the distribution of socioeconomic status (SES) and its temporal dynamics within a population is critical to ensure that policies and interventions adequately and equitably contribute to the well-being and life chances of all individuals. This study assesses the dynamics of SES in a typical rural South African setting over the period 2001–2013 using data on household assets from the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System. Three SES indices, an absolute index, principal component analysis index and multiple correspondence analysis index, are constructed from the household asset indicators. Relative distribution methods are then applied to the indices to assess changes over time in the distribution of SES with special focus on location and shape shifts. Results show that the proportion of households that own assets associated with greater modern wealth has substantially increased over time. In addition, relative distributions in all three indices show that the median SES index value has shifted up and the distribution has become less polarized and is converging towards the middle. However, the convergence is larger from the upper tail than from the lower tail, which suggests that the improvement in SES has been slower for poorer households. The results also show persistent ethnic differences in SES with households of former Mozambican refugees being at a disadvantage. From a methodological perspective, the study findings demonstrate the comparability of the easy-to-compute absolute index to other SES indices constructed using more advanced statistical techniques in assessing household SES.
Highlights
An individual’s or group’s position within a hierarchical social structure known as socioeconomic status (SES) influences one’s access to and control over desired resources including knowledge, money, power, prestige, and beneficial social connections which shape one’s well-being and life chances (Link and Phelan 1995; Mueller and Parcel 1981; Link and Phelan 2005; Link et al 2008; Phelan et al 2010)
This study assesses the dynamics of SES in a typical rural South African setting over the period 2001–2013 using data on household assets from the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System
This indicates that unlike other rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa, such as a rural population in Senegal studied by Garenne (2015), traditional wealth contributes to the SES of few households in rural South Africa
Summary
An individual’s or group’s position within a hierarchical social structure known as socioeconomic status (SES) influences one’s access to and control over desired resources including knowledge, money, power, prestige, and beneficial social connections which shape one’s well-being and life chances (Link and Phelan 1995; Mueller and Parcel 1981; Link and Phelan 2005; Link et al 2008; Phelan et al 2010). In low- and middle-income settings, one of the widely used measures of SES is a composite index constructed from a list of household asset items (Ataguba et al 2011; Barros et al 2010; Gwatkin et al 2007; Hong and Mishra 2011; Hosseinpoor et al 2006; Minujin and Delamonica 2004; Nkonki et al 2011; Uthman 2009; Van de Poel et al 2008; Ziraba et al 2009). The index is often called a ‘‘wealth index’’ or ‘‘asset index’’ (Howe et al 2012) and the household asset items on which it is derived from include durable goods, housing characteristics, sanitation and access to services. In low- and middle-income settings, household assets provide a better proxy for a household’s long-run wealth compared to information on income or expenditures; this is due to seasonal variability in earnings, income from potentially multiple and diverse informal activies, high rates of self-employment, likely recall bias and misreporting
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
