Structural racism can shape opportunity and health through policies, institutions, and routine practices, even when no individual intends to discriminate. This lesson introduces the relationship between structural racism and systemic inequities and explains how both connect to the social determinants of health.
The iceberg analogy helps explain why structural racism may be difficult to see. Its visible tip represents overt racism, such as an explicit racist insult or a clearly discriminatory act. The much larger portion below the water represents structural racism: interconnected systems, policies, laws, institutional practices, and norms that can disadvantage people based on race.
All flashcards
What is structural racism?
A system of policies, institutional practices, laws, and norms that creates or sustains racial disadvantage across society.
What are systemic inequities?
Unfair patterns in access, treatment, resources, or outcomes that are produced or maintained through systems and institutions.
How does the iceberg analogy distinguish overt and structural racism?
The visible tip represents readily recognized overt racism, while the larger hidden base represents structural systems and practices that can produce widespread harm.
What are the social determinants of health?
Nonmedical conditions and circumstances—such as housing, income, education, safety, and exposure to discrimination—that influence health.
Why can structural racism affect health without being immediately visible?
Its effects can operate through ordinary institutional arrangements that shape access to resources and opportunities, accumulating across multiple areas of life.
Quiz questions
What did the Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, prohibit?Answer: Denying men the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
What was a major effect of redlining on many BIPOC neighborhoods?Answer: It restricted mortgage access and investment, contributing to long-term disinvestment.
What contributed to lead entering Flint residents’ drinking water after the 2014 water-source switch?Answer: Untreated water corroded pipes, allowing lead to leach into the water.
Why can lower property values contribute to unequal school resources?Answer: Schools relying substantially on local property taxes may receive less revenue in those areas.
How can inability to afford cash bail affect someone who has not been convicted?Answer: The person may remain detained before trial, disrupting work, family life, housing, or care.
Based on Population Health for Nurses by Jessica Ochs, Sherry L. Roper, Susan M. Schwartz (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.