Race, Gender, and the Resources That Matter: An Investigation of Intersectionality and Health

Abstract

This study examined racial disparities in health among women, in particular, the relationship between social status and both the development of psychosocial resources and good health. These relationships were investigated using a sample of 869 women from the 2007 wave of the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics, Child Development Supplement. While Black women developed the intrapersonal rewards of self-efficacy and self-esteem through socioeconomic status, they did not experience the same degree of health benefits with these advantages as White women. Models relating both self-rated health and chronic conditions suggested that, instead, highly educated Black women were at a persistent health disadvantage relative to Whites, even at the same levels of psychosocial resources. That being said, Black women with higher self-efficacy, and particularly, higher self-esteem, were more likely than Black women with lower levels of these resources to report being in better health. Thus, resources may improve health within a disadvantaged group while still not bringing them up to the level of health experienced by their advantaged counterparts. Overall, the findings demonstrated that research should not treat women as a homogenous group, assuming that mechanisms affecting health operate the same for women regardless of their race.