What is the Origin of Inequalities in Work and Health?.

Son, Mi A

English Abstract

Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health 2005;38(3): 241-251.

Department of preventive medicine School of Medicine, Kangwon National university, Korea. sonmia@kangwon.ac.kr

ABSTRACT

There has been an enormous increasing trend of widening gap of social inequalities since economic crisis at the end of 1997 in Korea. Since then, Korean society has deteriorated in economic and social conditions; the unemployment rate, temporary or casual workers and absolute poverty have increased. This paper presents the origin of inequalities in work and health in Korea. The origin of inequalities in work begins with the relationship between the capitalist and labourers in the capitalist mode of production. The conception and execution are dissolved in the work process in the capitalist mode of production. Thus, captitalists become control over ther labour process from workers. An alienation of the work process from the workers. The distribution of work is the majour source if inequalities in many countries as well as Korea. This paper presents the increasing tendency of unhealthy states such as mortality, early death, morbidity, physical work load, workplace injury amongst the under-privileged: ordinary workers, unemployed people, casual workers and socially deprived people in Korea.

Key words: Work inequalities; Social division of labour; the working class and the capitalist; Surplus value; Socioeconomic factor