Race, Gender, and SES Disparities in Self-Assessed Health, 1974-2004

Abstract

Despite improvements in the status of Blacks and women over the past 30 years, racial and gender disparities in mortality and morbidity persist. Using General Social Survey (GSS) data from 1974 to 2004, the authors explore the extent to which race, gender, and socioeconomic status converge to produce differences in self-assessed health. The intersectionality paradigm is used to guide this work on health disparities. The authors find that the gender gap in self-assessed health has narrowed significantly over this 30-year time period. This decreased gap is especially pronounced because of the marked improvement over time in Black women's reports of their health. However, Black women continue to report the lowest levels of self-assessed health even in 2004. In fact, Black women who hold a college degree report worse health than White men, White women, and Black men with a high school diploma.