L'inégalité sociale devant la mort

Abstract

[fre] Les instituteurs avaient la réputation d'avoir la plus longue durée de vie. Pour la période 1975-1980, ce sont les cadres supérieurs et les professeurs qui ont la plus faible mortalité, tandis que les manœuvres et les salariés agricoles restent les plus défavorisés. Depuis vingt-cinq ans, les écarts entre catégories sociales se sont accrus : la mortalité des ouvriers a moins diminué que celle des cols blancs ou des agriculteurs. L'inactivité pourrait bien être néfaste, car les chômeurs et les inactifs ont une mortalité beaucoup plus élevée que les autres; de même les femmes inactives ont une mortalité plus forte que les femmes actives; mais ces corrélations peuvent résulter, au moins en partie, de ce qu'une bonne constitution physique favorise l'activité et réduit le risque de décès. Si un niveau culturel élevé est favorable pour les hommes, il ne l'est pas autant pour les femmes. Comme l'activité professionnelle, la vie de famille semble jouer un rôle protecteur, dont l'homme profite plus que la femme. Les risques plus élevés correspondent vers 50 ans à une forte mortalité pour certaines causes : alcoolisme, cirrhose du foie, tumeurs de l'œsophage et des voies aériennes supérieures. Pour les hommes, l'importance croissante de ces tumeurs a entraîné une augmentation de la mortalité par cancer, en particulier pour les employés et les ouvriers. [eng] Social inequality in front of death - Teachers used to have the reputation of possessing the longest lifespan. For the period 1975-1980, it is managerial class and high school and university teachers who have the lowest mortality rate, while unskilled laborers and farm workers remain the most underprivileged. For 25 years, the disparities between social categories have been growing: the mortality rate of workers has decreased less than that of white collar workers or farmers. Inactivity could very well be deleterious, for the unemployed and the non-working men have a much higher mortality rate than the others, just as non-working women have a higher mortality rate than working women. But these correlations may result, at least in part, from the fact that a strong physical constitution favors activity and reduces the risk of death. If a high cultural level is favorable for men, it is not as favorable for women. Like professional activity, family life seems to play a protective role; one from which men profit more than women. There are certain causes of higher risk which towards age 50 correspond to a high mortality rate: alcoholism, cirrhosis of the liver, and tumors of the oesophagus and upper respiratory system. For men, the growing numbers of these tumors has brought about an increase in the cancer mortality rate, in particular for employees and workers. [spa] Desigualdad social frente a la muerte - Los maestros tenían fama de gozar una vida más larga. Para el período que mide entre 1975 y 1980, son los cuadros superiores y los profesores los que presentan más baja mortalidad, mientras que peones y asalariados agrícolas son más desfavorecidos. Desde hace 25 año...

Occupational and educational differentials in mortality in French elderly people

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Socioeconomic position in childhood and in adulthood and functional limitations in midlife: Data from a nationally-representative survey of French men and women

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