In what ways can social class influence experiences and interpretations of illness?
The prevalence of diseases among certain social classes is responsible for the experience and interpretations of illnesses. Stratification of the American society is responsible for the presumption that the working and middle classes are vulnerable to diseases due to the poor working conditions that they work in. The poor and middle classes also live in deplorable conditions, and this helps to explain why they are predisposed to poor health conditions; pressure on social amenities such as water and sewerage systems make it difficult to maintain hygiene. On the contrary, the wealthy have also been labeled as sickly and weak, and such stereotypes affect the delivery of healthcare.
Why were working-class women blamed for the spread of diseases?
According to Ehrenreich and English, working-class women were blamed for the spread of diseases as sickness, exhaustion, and injury were common occurrences in their lives. Contagious diseases hit the poor the hardest, and their social-economic status makes it difficult for disease prevention and subsequent control. Working-class women were subjected to poor working conditions characterized by long working hours and lack of personal protection equipment among those who worked in factories. Consequently, it was easy to spread diseases from the workplace to the home.
What misconceptions about the nature of the disease and of working-class people led to blaming them for the spread of disease?
The nature and spread of disease were misconceived as the creation of the poor thus was blamed for failures in disease prevention and control. Another misconception is that members of the working classes were to blame for diseases as they used their brains more and, in so doing, impeded the functioning of their protective organs.
In connection with this view, middle and upper-class women took on the task of public health crusaders. Why did they do this, and how did they intend to improve the health of the public?
Misconceptions about the nature of disease were a barrier to the effective delivery of healthcare, and to ensure well being, middle and upper-class women took an advocacy role. In protesting the stereotypes about working women, they were able to overcome the barrier to healthcare. The women also used riots and violent protests to ensure ease in access to healthcare facilities as failing to do so would jeopardize their well being. Next to affluent neighborhoods where the upper classes lived were slums, and in the case of an outbreak, both the poor and rich were affected.