Racial and Ethnic Health Inequities: An Intersectional Approach

Abstract

Nowhere is the severity and impact of racism on our nation and its people clearer and more profound than in the arena of health—where racism is literally a matter of life and death. Employing an intersectional lens, this essay addresses four aspects of the complex relationship between health and race, ethnicity, and other systems of inequality. First, we situate the national discourse on health care disparities in an historical and social movement context, followed by several ways that racial and ethnic differences in health are defined. Second, we provide an overview of data on differences in health and health care. Third, we examine dominant and critical models for explaining the differences, specifically comparing traditional biomedical approaches with intersectional social constructionist approaches. We conclude with proposed strategies to reduce and eliminate health inequities across race, ethnicity, gender, and social class.