25 of 42 years. This 16-year difference in life expectancy between these two categories is four times the overall Black-white difference and twice the income and gender differences. These examples highlight the need for careful and systematic efforts that pay attention to the indicator of health status, the measure of SES and the racial and gender group under consideration so that we can begin to identify the conditions under which particular patterns in the social patterning of disease are more or less likely to occur. Research is needed to identify how biological factors linked to sex and social factors linked to gender combine with risks and resources linked to SES and race to affect patterns of health risks.
