High Status Groups Research Articles

Relationship between the shift of socioeconomic status and cardiovascular mortality.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether upward or downward shifts in socioeconomic status have an effect on cardiovascular mortality. A retrospective cohort study. Among the Korean National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort, 178,812 subjects were selected who were over 20 years of age as of 2002, with available data on routine health check and free of a diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease, stroke, heart failure or cancer at baseline. Cause of death was identified by the death certificate. Stratification of socioeconomic status was done by income as low (lower 30th percentile), high (higher 30th percentile) and middle, which was reclassified annually. Shift in socioeconomic status was defined as any change in the income class from baseline. During the follow-up of a median 10 years, cardiovascular mortality was significantly higher among middle and low socioeconomic status groups (hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for middle 1.92 (1.68-2.19) and low 1.73 (1.50-2.00)) compared to the high socioeconomic status group after adjustment for age, gender, residence, blood pressure, fasting glucose, smoking and medications (statins and antiplatelet agents). In the same regression model, an upward shift of socioeconomic status was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular death (hazard ratio 0.46, 95% confidence interval 0.40-0.52), while a downward shift was not a significant predictor. An upward shift of socioeconomic status was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality after adjustment for baseline socioeconomic status, conventional risk factors and risk-reducing pharmacological treatments.

The Perception of Instability and Legitimacy of Status Differences Enhances the Infrahumanization Bias among High Status Groups.

Previous research within the social identity framework has shown that perceptions of legitimacy and stability of status differences interactively determine cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses to intergroup contexts. Whether such perceptions affect subtle forms of prejudice, namely infrahumanisation, is unknown. We examined if the perceptions regarding high status stability and legitimacy are associated to the infrahumanisation bias. We hypothesized that participants perceiving status differences as unstable and legitimate would report higher levels of infrahumanization than those who perceive status differences as stable and/or illegitimate. Participants (N = 439 Italian students enrolled in psychology courses) completed a structured paper-and-pencil questionnaire. We found that participants tended to attribute more negative secondary emotions to their ingroup (Italians) than to the outgroup (immigrants from Africa), indicating the presence of an infrahumanization bias. The results of a moderated regression aimed at predicting infrahumanization showed that high-status group members who perceived status differences as legitimate and unstable reported higher levels of infrahumanization than their counterparts did. The results attest the important and independent role of the perceptions related to the status for the debate on intergroup relations.

Supplemental Material for Is Martin Luther King or Malcolm X the More Acceptable Face of Protest? High-Status Groups’ Reactions to Low-Status Groups’ Collective Action

Supplemental Material for Is Martin Luther King or Malcolm X the More Acceptable Face of Protest? High-Status Groups’ Reactions to Low-Status Groups’ Collective Action

Race attitudes in cultural context: The view from two Brazilian states.

The development of implicit and explicit racial attitudes were investigated in 542 White, Pardo, and Black Brazilian children and adolescents (aged 6 to 14) from 2 different regional contexts that vary dramatically in their racial diversity, Bahia (BA) and Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Results revealed the pervasive presence of race biases favoring higher status groups across multiple measures of implicit and explicit attitude. Contextual differences were also apparent, particularly in measures of group identification: Children from the more diverse context (BA), including Black children, identified themselves more strongly with lighter skin tones, particularly with Whites. Implicit attitudes were stable with age, whereas explicit attitudes generally showed less bias as a function of age. Implicit and explicit racial preference were related in younger but not older children, providing evidence of increasing divergence across early development. Differences between our findings and those reported from other regions underscores the need for greater diversity in our research efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The Interplay of Inter- and Intraprofessional Boundary Work in Multidisciplinary Teams

The challenges of managing interprofessional boundaries within multidisciplinary teams are well known. However, the role of intraprofessional relations in influencing the dynamics of interprofessional collaboration remain underexplored. Our qualitative study offers a fine-grained analysis of the interplay between inter- and intraprofessional boundary work among three professional groups in a multidisciplinary team over a period of two years. Our contribution to the literature is threefold. First, we identify various forms of “competitive” and “collaborative” boundary work that may occur simultaneously at both inter- and intraprofessional levels. Second, we reveal the dynamic interplay between inter- and intraprofessional boundary negotiations over time. Third, we theorize relationships between the social position of professional groups, and the uses and consequences of competitive and collaborative boundary work tactics at intra- and interprofessional levels. Specifically, we show how intraprofessional conflict within high-status groups may affect interprofessional dynamics, we reveal how intraprofessional and interprofessional boundaries may be mobilized positively to support collaborative relations, and we show how mobilization within lower-status groups around interprofessional boundary grievances can paradoxically lead to further marginalization.

Socioeconomic disparities in life expectancy gains among retired German men, 1997–2016

BackgroundAlthough estimates of socioeconomic mortality disparities in Germany exist, the trends in these disparities since the 1990s are still unknown. This study examines mortality trends across socioeconomic groups since the...

Fathers' involvement with their children in the United Kingdom: Recent trends and class differences

BACKGROUND Many studies of Western societies have documented an increasing involvement of fathers with their children since the 1970s. The trend reflects changes in the meaning of fatherhood and contributes to child well-being and gender equality. New policies in the United Kingdom might have further encouraged father involvement in the new millennium. Differences in father involvement between socioeconomic groups have caused concern since they contribute to inequality in resources available to children. OBJECTIVES This paper examines the recent trends and social differences in father involvement with children in the United Kingdom. METHODS Data from the UK Time Use Surveys 2000-2001 and 2014-2015 are analysed using regression models. RESULTS Fathers' overall involvement in childcare in the new millennium has been stable but differences emerge when looking at specific childcare activities, in particular on weekend days. In 2014 fathers were less likely to provide interactive care and active fathers provided on average fewer minutes of physical care than in 2000. Fathers from higher SES groups offset some of these trends by increased participation rates in physical care in 2014 compared to 2000. CONCLUSIONS The stability of fathers' involvement signifies a stalling of the transformation of the father role and progress towards gender equality in the home in large parts of the population. Father involvement on weekend days continues to diverge between high and low status groups. CONTRIBUTION This is the first comprehensive analysis of trends in father involvement in the new millennium using time-use data. It is the first analysis that finds no further increase of father involvement in the United Kingdom.

RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY IN ISTANBUL- B. A. KIPNIS REVISITED

This study aims to clarify the nature and selectiveness of residential moves and their impacts on the urban space, at the level of district in Istanbul within two distinct periods: 1985-1990 and 1995-2000. This study is an attempt to understand residential mobility which is one of the poorly studied dynamics of Turkish urbanization. Data used in this study is drawn from the 1990 and 200 Population Censuses. To analyse residential mobility, the paper revisited B.A. Kipnis’ ‘flow priority graph’ and introduces the ‘Socio-economic Development Index’ which is the original contribution of this study. The major findings are that from 1990 to 2000, high-status groups’ interaction with the urban geography of Istanbul significantly increased, opposite to low-status groups.

Hipersegregação das elites metropolitanas brasileiras na década de 2000: interpretações a partir da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte

Resumo Este artigo apresenta alguns resultados da comparação da estrutura socioespacial das 15 principais regiões metropolitanas brasileiras e de sua evolução no período entre 2000 e 2010. A análise aborda prioritariamente o fenômeno de concentração dos grupos de mais alto status nos espaços superiores dessas metrópoles, configurando a sua hipersegregação. Hipóteses explicativas para esse processo são apresentadas a partir da análise específica da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, cuja composição social é muito próxima da composição média das 15 RMs estudadas e para a qual há dados específicos sobre dinâmica imobiliária, índice de qualidade de vida e mobilidade residencial. A histórica atratividade das áreas centrais intensificou-se na década de 2000, mantendo-as como localização preferencial dos investimentos imobiliários de alto padrão.

Where Does the Money Come From? Humanizing High Socioeconomic Status Groups Undermines Attitudes Toward Redistribution.

The concentration of wealth in the hands of a few at the expense of general impoverishment is a major problem in some modern societies. However, there is a general opposition to redistribution policies or to the application of a progressive taxation system. The goal of this research was to explore one factor that might drive the attitudes toward income redistribution: The (de)humanization of high socioeconomic status groups. Previous studies have shown that high socioeconomic status groups tend to be considered as unemotional machines without any concern for others. However, the consequences of mechanizing (vs. humanizing) high socioeconomic status on the interpretation of socioeconomic differences has not been explored yet. We considered that humanizing high socioeconomic status groups might have an unexpected negative effect on attitudes about income inequality and wealth concentration. Specifically, this research aims to determine how humanizing high socioeconomic status groups influences people’s perceptions of the group’s wealth and preferences for income redistribution. We conducted two studies in which we manipulated the humanity (mechanized vs. humanized in terms of their Human Nature traits) of a high socioeconomic status group. Results of these two studies showed that humanizing (vs. mechanizing) high socioeconomic status groups led to lower support for income redistribution/taxation of wealthy groups, through considering that the group’s wealth comes from internal sources (e.g., ambition) rather than external ones (e.g., corruption). These results were independent of the group’s likeability and perceived competence/warmth. The present research provides valuable insight about the possible dark side of humanizing high socioeconomic status groups as a process that could contribute to the maintenance of the status quo and the legitimation of income inequality in our societies.

Where Does the Money Come From? Humanizing High Socioeconomic Status Groups Undermines Attitudes Toward Redistribution

Where Does the Money Come From? Humanizing High Socioeconomic Status Groups Undermines Attitudes Toward Redistribution

The stratification of professional sports following: social position and the consumption of major professional sports leagues in Canada

ABSTRACT The existence, nature, and social make-up of the cultural omnivore has been a topic of consistent scholarly inquiry in recent decades. Studies exist examining these dynamics both across cultural fields (inter-domain) and fully within them (intra-domain). However, even as one of the most culturally salient domains of leisure, sport is often relegated to the side-lines of these debates. This study sets out to analyse the leisure ‘following’ of professional sports. Using large-scale survey data from Canada, and employing a variety of statistical methods, this paper finds numerous distinct omnivorous categories, as well as a univorous group of professional sports consumers. The results reveal that the omnivorous groups have elevated levels of cultural and economic capital. However, it is two more selective omnivorous profiles, rather than the most omnivorous group, that show the highest concentration of cultural and economic capital. These results shed doubt on the status of intra-domain omnivores by volume as the consumption profile of high status groups. This paper also presents gendered results from these consumption groups in the first large scale investigation of female professional sports following in Canada or elsewhere.

In Defense of Immutability

Over the last forty years the concept of immutability has been central to Equal Protection doctrine. According to current doctrine, a trait is immutable if it is beyond the power of an individual to change or is so fundamental to personal identity that it ought not be required to be changed. A trait that meets either of these criteria receives heightened legal protection under constitutional antidiscrimination law. Yet most legal scholars who have addressed the topic have called for the abandonment of the immutability criterion, on the grounds that the immutability criterion is conceptually confused, morally indefensible, and bound to stigmatize subordinate groups. A rejection of the immutability criterion is unwarranted. The immutability criterion must be understood as targeting social, as opposed to personal, identities. In this paper I introduce work from social psychology and sociology in order to unpack the concept of social identity. I show that stigmatized individuals are denied access to high status groups, institutions, relationships, and occupations because of their immutable social identities. I conclude that, for Equal Protection doctrine, it is entirely irrelevant whether “immutable” traits are physically unchangeable or are part of an individual’s personal identity. After defending this “social” conception of immutability, I show that social immutability ties together a number of threads running throughout antidiscrimination law, namely, animus and stigma jurisprudence under the 14th amendment and the “badges of slavery” reading of the 13th amendment. I then demonstrate how the social conception of immutability extends antidiscrimination protection to signifiers associated with gender expression, culture, and ethnicity. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3343795

Imitating the winner leads to discrimination in spatial prisoner\u2019s dilemma model

The occurrence of discrimination is an important problem in the social and economical sciences. Much of the discrimination observed in empirical studies can be explained by the theory of in-group favouritism, which states that people tend to act more positively towards peers whose appearances are more similar to their own. Some studies, however, find hierarchical structures in inter-group relations, where members of low-status groups also favour the high-status group members. These observations cannot be understood in the light of in-group favouritism. Here we present an agent based model in which evolutionary dynamics can result in a hierarchical discrimination between two groups characterized by a meaningless, but observable binary label. We find that discriminating strategies end up dominating the system when the selection pressure is high, i.e. when agents have a much higher probability of imitating their neighbour with the highest payoff. These findings suggest that the puzzling persistence of hierarchical discrimination may result from the evolutionary dynamics of the social system itself, namely the social imitation dynamics. It also predicts that discrimination will occur more often in highly competitive societies.

"We Look (and Feel) Better Through System-Justifying Lenses": System-Justifying Beliefs Attenuate the Well-Being Gap Between the Advantaged and Disadvantaged by Reducing Perceptions of Discrimination.

Low-status groups report lower levels of well-being than do high-status groups. Although system justification theory posits that the endorsement of system-justifying beliefs should decrease this well-being gap, the underlying mechanisms responsible for this hypothesized palliative effect have evaded empirical scrutiny. We address this oversight by arguing that system-justifying beliefs confer palliative benefits upon low-status groups by decreasing perceptions of group-based discrimination. Using nationally representative data from New Zealand (N = 12,959), we demonstrate that ethnic minorities (Study 1a) and women (Study 1b) generally report lower levels of well-being than do New Zealand Europeans and men, respectively. Nevertheless, as hypothesized, these differences were mitigated by the endorsement of ethnic- and gender-specific system justification, respectively. Mediated moderation analyses further revealed that part of the palliative effects of system justification occurred via reductions in perceived group-based discrimination. The implications of these findings for intergroup relations are discussed.

Slavery, Reconstruction, and Bureaucratic Capacity in the American South

Conventional political economy models predict taxation will increase when the franchise is expanded to include more low-income voters. We argue that in societies where social status is a cleavage, extensions of the franchise to low-status groups may lead to not only greater redistribution but also policies encouraging social integration. Therefore, elites can use the threat of desegregation to unite both wealthy and poor members of high-status groups against taxes, and weaken the bureaucratic capacity essential for tax collection. We demonstrate this argument by studying the effects of the extension of voting rights to African Americans in the United States at the end of the Civil War. We show that during Reconstruction, under an occupying North, per capita taxation was higher in counties with more former slaves and slaveholdings. After Reconstruction, per capita taxes fell and bureaucratic capacity was weaker where the legacy of slavery was stronger. We find that higher intrawhite economic inequality was associated with lower taxes and lower bureaucratic quality in the post-Reconstruction era in counties with more enslaved people and slaveholdings. These results suggest that Southern elites could successfully build cross-class coalitions against taxation in places where whites were more threatened by desegregation and sought to protect their racial status.

Collective self-esteem predicts the extent to which low-status group members favor a high-status outgroup

It remains unclear whether low-status group members show favoritism toward a high-status outgroup. To answer this question, the present study divided 180 senior high school students into different three-person groups using the minimal intergroup paradigm. Each group was required to solve a problem together and then was informed that they had performed either well (high-status) or poorly (low-status). Next, the psychological distance to the ingroups and outgroups and collective self-esteem of each participant were measured. Members from high-status groups consistently reported a closer psychological distance to the ingroup than the outgroup (ingroup bias), whereas members from the low-status groups exhibited a reverse pattern; i.e., they reported a closer psychological distance to the high-status outgroup than the ingroup (outgroup bias). Moreover, collective self-esteem positively predicted the extent of outgroup bias such that ingroup members with higher collective self-esteem were less tolerable to the low status of their ingroup. In conclusion, the preference for high status triumphed the preference for ingroup in low-status group members, and collective self-esteem may be an important individual difference that predicted the extent of favoring high-status outgroups.

Revisiting the status-legitimacy hypothesis: Concepts, boundary conditions, and psychological mechanisms

The status-legitimacy hypothesis proposes that low-status groups are more inclined to justify the status quo as fair and legitimate than high-status groups. Although there are some research evidences for this hypothesis, many studies have found the opposite result, that disadvantaged groups are more dissatisfied with the social system. To resolve this disagreement, this article integrates relevant ideas and empirical research in three aspects. First, the conceptual approach emphasises that the controversy is a result of different operational definitions of social status and system justification in previous studies. The second approach, focusing on moderator variables, proposes that the disputes over past studies are probably due to moderator variables, which can influence the relationship between status and system justification. The third approach, based on psychological mechanisms, proposes that system justification theory cannot completely explain the psychological underpinnings of status differences in system justification, and in order to clarify this, it is necessary to explore other psychological processes. Future studies should continue to examine the mediation mechanisms and boundary conditions of the status-legitimacy hypothesis and may try to establish a nonlinear hypothesis. Moreover, researchers should also pay attention to the application of experimental methods and big-data methods.

Effect of Awareness and Habits of Oral Care on Life Satisfaction.

New methods of public education in oral care must be developed, because the public understanding of the importance of oral care is insufficient. This questionnaire study examined the parameters 'awareness and attitude relevant to teeth and mouth' and 'consciousness and attitude of daily life' in order to clarify what kind of information is needed for public education in oral care. Data gathered in a survey of oral care behaviours and lifestyle among the elderly were analysed for oral care awareness and health of the teeth using the factor analysis method. The respondents were divided into four groups according to two factors relating to oral health condition and oral care awareness. The high oral-care-consciousness group had a greater awareness of general health and sociability as well as life satisfaction than did the low oral-care-consciousness group. However, the respondents' economic situation had a larger effect on life satisfaction. The respondents were then divided into higher, middle, and lower economic status groups, and the relation between oral care awareness and life satisfaction was analysed for each group. As a result, the correlation between life satisfaction and oral care consciousness was observed by excluding the economic factors. The present data suggest that oral care awareness may contribute to improvement of lifestyle and life satisfaction.

Self-Esteem, Academic and Career Aspirations on the Basis of Socio-Economic Status of Adolescents

The purpose of this study is to establish the relationship of socio-economic status on self-esteem, academic and career aspirations of adolescents. Sample consists of 269 adolescents at the age group of 14-17 years, belongs to high and low socio-economic status, studying in various higher secondary schools, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala. Schools were selected randomly from the rural, semi-urban and urban areas. The instruments used were Self-esteem Inventory (Thomas and Sanandaraj, 1981), academic and career aspirations checklist and personal data sheet constructed for the purpose of this study. The modified Kuppuswamy scale updated in the year 2018 was used to assess the socio-economic status (SES) of families. The scale measures the education, occupation and total family income of the adolescents. 138 adolescents belong to high SES and 131 adolescents from low SES. The results show that there is significant difference on self-esteem and career aspiration between low and high socio-economic status. It also shows highly significant difference in academic achievement of low and high socioeconomic groups. There is no significant difference in the self-esteem, career aspiration and academic achievement between two genders of high socio-economic status groups. Among the low socio-economic status group, there is no significant difference in career aspiration and academic achievement but there is highly significant gender difference in the self- esteem.