Chapter 16: Health and illness in an unequal society

By and large—especially when we make comparisons with other societies or explore the history of illness and diseases—we can readily agree, that Australia is a ‘healthy’ society. Yet what does ‘health’ mean? Is it simply defined as the absence of illness? How much of what happens to a person’s body is the result of purely biological factors like exposure to viruses and germs, and how much is a consequence of social relationships and cultural practices like diet and exercise? As we show here, the health of a person or an entire community involves an intricate overlapping of both biological and social processes.

Further reading

‘Women's health in a changing state’
by Philomena Horsley, Sonya Tremellen and Linda Hancock from
Health Policy in the Market State
Edited by Linda Hancock
(Click on the title for more information)
Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1999, pp. 210-228.
Download excerpt (PDF)

Nurses and Doctors at Work
by Deidre Wicks
(Click on the title for more information)
Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1999, pp. 91-110.
Download excerpt (PDF)

Useful links

The Australian Institute of Health & Welfare
http://www.aihw.gov.au/

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/

HealthInsite
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/

National Rural Health Alliance
http://nrha.ruralhealth.org.au/?IntCatId=14

World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/en/