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Equal Lifespans: How Standardised Living Conditions Erase Socioeconomic Gaps in Mortality

Socioeconomic status is a key determinant of longevity—but does this hold in a setting with equal living conditions? A new study used mortality data of German Catholic monks and finds that the effect of SES is eliminated in a context with largely standardised conditions.

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Not everyone has the same chance at a long and healthy life. People with lower socioeconomic status (SES)—measured by education, income, or occupation—face a much higher risk of poor health and premature death than those with higher SES. These gaps are striking, often amounting to a 5- to 10-year difference in life expectancy.

Why is this so? According to Link and Phelan’s Fundamental Cause Theory, SES is a fundamental determinant of health because it provides access to wealth, education, prestige, power, social connections, and other resources, helping individuals to avoid or cope with disease. The protective health benefits of having a higher SES remain strong even if diseases and risk factors change over time.

A recent study by Alina Schmitz (TU Dortmund), Patrick Lazarevič (Statistics Austria), and Marc Luy (Vienna Insitute of Demography) takes a novel approach to testing the Fundamental Cause Theory by analysing mortality patterns among around 2,500 German Catholic monks born between 1840 and 1959. The study uses monastic titles—"brothers" (lower SES) and "padres" (higher SES)—as a way to measure SES within a group living under largely similar conditions.

The results indicate very similar mortality rates across SES groups. This finding holds true across all generations or birth cohorts, suggesting that monastic life offers health protection for monks with a lower SES regardless of the disease patterns, causes of death, or main risk factors in a given period.

These findings suggest that when living conditions are equalised, SES loses its influence on health outcomes. While SES-related disparities in mortality are well-documented for the general population, monastic life seems to eliminate the disadvantages associated with low SES. This supports the premise of the Fundamental Cause Theory: SES shapes health outcomes mainly through access to resources, and when access to these resources is equalised, the mortality disadvantage of persons with lower SES is eliminated.

Contact:

Alina Schmitz, TU Dortmund, alina.schmitz@tu-dortmund.de

Additional Information

Writers

Alina Schmitz (TU Dortmund)

Authors of Original Article

Schmitz

Lazarevic

Luy

Source

Schmitz, A., Lazarevič, P. & Luy, M. (2024). No Socioeconomic Inequalities in Mortality among Catholic Monks: A Quasi-Experiment Providing Evidence for the Fundamental Cause Theory. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, online first.