Wells, Jonathan CK;
Marphatia, Akanksha A;
(2018)
An Inter-generational Perspective on Social Inequality in Health and Life Opportunities: The Maternal Capital Model.
In: Meloni, Maurizio and Cromby, John and Fitzgerald, Des and Lloyd, Stephanie, (eds.)
The Palgrave Handbook of Biology and Society.
(pp. 561-586).
Palgrave Macmillan: London, UK.
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Abstract
Both biological and social scientists have previously offered relatively ‘deterministic’ explanations for the persistence of social hierarchies across generations, emphasising genes and culture respectively. In this chapter we aim to go beyond this artificial dichotomy, focusing on how inequalities in health and capabilities emerge inter-generationally through biological plasticity, whereby the phenotype responds across the life-course to diverse environmental stimuli and stresses. Through plasticity, chronic exposure to adverse circumstances can induce a cumulative phenotypic condition that may take several generations fully to reverse, without being inevitable. We focus on growth, education and health outcomes to illustrate these concepts. Our approach goes beyond previous consideration of how social stresses lead to biological ‘embedding’ or ‘embodying’ by placing unique emphasis on the mediating role of maternal phenotype. This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
| Type: | Book chapter |
|---|---|
| Title: | An Inter-generational Perspective on Social Inequality in Health and Life Opportunities: The Maternal Capital Model |
| ISBN-13: | 978-1-137-52878-0 |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1057/978-1-137-52879-7_24 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52879-7_24 |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1545178 |
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