Health, Equality, and Social Justice:
The status of health and healthcare in the U.S.
A film and discussion series
Film and Discussion Series Schedule
Free and open to the UNH Community.
When the Bough Breaks
Tuesday, February 16
12:45 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
MUB Theatre I
When the Bough Breaks addresses why infant mortality rates among African Americans remain more than twice as high as among white Americans? Although birth outcomes are generally better for those with high education and income, Black women with college degrees are still more likely to give birth prematurely than white women who haven’t finished high school. Researchers are circling in on a provocative explanation: that the chronic stress of racism can become embedded in the body, taking a heavy toll on African American families and on children even before they leave the womb.
Facilitators: Barbara Prudhomme White, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy and Courtney Marshall, Assistant Professor of English and Women’s Studies.
The Pill: Contraception as Social Justice
Tuesday, March 2
12:45 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
MUB Theatre I
In May 1960, the FDA approved the sale of a pill that arguably would have a greater impact on American culture than any
other drug in the nation's history. For women across the country, the contraceptive pill was liberating: it allowed them to
pursue careers, fueled the feminist and pro-choice movements and encouraged more open attitudes towards sex. Among
the key players in the development of the drug were two elderly female activists who demanded a contraceptive women
could eat like aspirin and then paid for the scientific research; a devout Catholic gynecologist who believed a robust sex
life made for a good marriage and argued tirelessly that the Pill was a natural form of birth control; and a biologist who
bullied a pharmaceutical company into risking a possibly crippling boycott to develop this revolutionary contraceptive.
The discussion to follow this film will explore where women are today, 50 years later, and the social injustices and daily
obstacles that prevent low-income women, women of color, young women, immigrant women and women with disabilities
from seeking necessary reproductive health care including contraception.
Facilitator: Jean Elson, Ph.D., M.A., M. Ed., Lecturer of Sociology
More Information about the film, The Pill...
Hidden Wounds
The psychological wounds suffered by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as told in their own words
Tuesday, March 9
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
MUB Theatre I
The psychological wounds suffered by some veterans returning home from war may be as hard to overcome as the physical injuries of combat. This powerful documentary Hidden Wounds explores this painful reality through the stories of veterans and their struggles to overcome the trauma of their experiences. One of these stories is told by Nate Fick a Dartmouth College graduate who was a platoon commander in an elite Marine Recon unit in Afghanistan.
Facilitators: Lonn Sattler, Veterans Coordinator for UNH and Michael Brodeur, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Counseling Center.
More information about the film, Hidden Wounds...
Rape Is...
Tuesday, April 13
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
MUB Theatre I
Rape is the most underreported crime in America. Many types of sexual assault are not considered a serious crime by the
legal system and our society refuses to see the true cost of this brutal denial of basic rights. “Rape is…” expands the narrow
ways we think of sexual violence, and demonstrates that it is not a sporadic and rare occurrence, but a cultural and criminal
outrage that affects millions of women, children and men all over the world.
Post film discussion will explore the cultural fallout induced by rape & how it affects the health of individuals & society.
Facilitators: TBA--Women’s Studies Faculty
Related Resources...
This film series is sponsored by Health Services, Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program (SHARPP) and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and the Women's Studies Program in collaboration with the University Discovery Program.
* This portion of the series is based on a segment from the film Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?
10 Things to Know About Health
- Health is more than health care.
Doctors treat us when we’re ill, but what makes us healthy or sick in the first place? Research shows that social conditions – the jobs we do, the money we’re paid, the schools we attend, the neighborhoods we live in – are as important to our health as our genes, our behaviors and even our medical care. - Health is tied to the distribution of resources.
The single strongest predictor of our health is our position on the class pyramid. Whether measured by income, schooling, or occupation, those at the top have the most power and resources and on average live longer and healthier lives. Those at the bottom are most disempowered and get sicker and die younger. The rest of us fall somewhere in between. On average, people in the middle are almost twice as likely to die an early death compared to those at the top; those on the bottom, four times as likely. Even among people who smoke, poor smokers have a greater risk of dying than rich smokers. - Racism imposes an added health burden.
Past and present discrimination in housing, jobs and education means that today people of color are more likely to be lower on the class ladder. But even at the same rung, African Americans typically have worse health and die sooner than their white counterparts. In many cases, so do other populations of color. Segregation, social exclusion, encounters with prejudice, the degree of hope and optimism people have, differential access and treatment by the health care system – all of these can impact health. - The choices we make are shaped by the choices we have.
Individual behaviors – smoking, diet, drinking, and exercise – matter for health. But making healthy choices isn’t just about self discipline. Some neighborhoods have easy access to fresh, affordable produce; others have only fast food joints and liquor and convenience stores. Some have nice homes; clean parks; safe places to walk, jog, bike or play; and well-financed schools offering gym, art, music and after-school programs; and some don’t. What government and corporate practices can better ensure healthy spaces and places for everyone? - High demand + low control = chronic stress.
It’s not CEOs who are dying of heart attacks, it’s their subordinates. People at the top certainly face pressure but they are more likely to have the power and resources to manage those pressures. The lower in the pecking order we are, the greater our exposure to forces that can upset our lives – insecure and low-paying jobs, uncontrolled debt, capricious supervisors, unreliable transportation, poor childcare, no healthcare, noisy and violent living conditions – and the less access we have to the money, power, knowledge and social connections that can help us cope and gain control over those forces. - Chronic stress can be toxic.
Exposure to fear and uncertainty triggers a stress response. Our bodies go on alert: the heart beats faster, blood pressure rises, glucose floods the bloodstream – all so we can hit harder or run faster until the threat passes. But when threats are constant and unrelenting our physiological systems don’t return to normal. Like gunning the engine of a car, this constant state of arousal, even if low-level, wears us down over time, increasing our risk for disease. - Inequality – economic and political – is bad for our health.
The United States has by far the most inequality in the industrialized world – and the worst health. The top 1% now owns as much wealth as the bottom 90%. Tax breaks for the rich, deregulation, the decline of unions, racism and segregation, outsourcing and globalization, and cuts in social programs destabilize communities and channel wealth and power – and health – to the few at the expense of the many. Economic inequality in the U.S. is now greater than at any time since the 1920s. - Social policy is health policy.
Average life expectancy in the U.S. improved by 30 years during the 20th century. Researchers attribute much of that increase not to drugs or medical technologies but to social changes – for example, improved wage and work standards, universal schooling, improved sanitation and housing, and civil rights laws. Social measures like living wage jobs, paid sick and family leave, guaranteed vacations, universal preschool and access to college, and universal health care can further extend our lives by improving our lives. These are as much health issues as diet, smoking and exercise. - Health inequalities are not natural.
Health differences that arise from our racial and class inequities result from decisions we as a society have made – and can make differently. Other rich nations already have, in two important ways: they make sure inequality is less (e.g., Sweden’s relative child poverty rate after transfers is 4%, compared to our 22%), and they try to ensure that everyone has access to health promoting resources regardless of their personal wealth (e.g., good schools and health care are available to everyone, not just the affluent). They live healthier, longer lives than we do - We all pay the price for poor health.
It’s not only the poor but also the middle classes whose health is suffering. We already spend $2 trillion a year to patch up our bodies, more than twice per person than the average rich country spends, and our health care system is strained to the breaking point. Yet our life expectancy is 29th in the world, infant mortality 30th, and lost productivity due to illness costs businesses more than $1 trillion a year. As a society, we face a choice: invest in the conditions that can improve health today, or pay to repair the bodies tomorrow.
Source: Unnatural Causes: Is inequality making us sick.
Amazing Facts!
Racial and ethnic health inequities don’t just reflect income. More African American, Native American, Latino and Pacific Islanders are in poor or fair health than whites at practically every income level.
College graduates can expect to live at least five years longer than those who have not finished high school, and almost two years longer than those who didn’t finish college.
These facts are from the documentary Unnatural Causes: Is inequality making us sick.
Additional Resources On Social Justice and Health
