Currently, the concept of ‘health inequalities’ refers to the impact that factors such as wealth, education, employment, gender, racial or ethnic group, exposure to environmental factors such as air pollution or weather variables, urban or rural residence, and the social conditions of the place where a person lives or works has on the distribution of health and disease among the population. The study of the characteristics of the population and the geographical area of residence is the methodological support that allows to identify intervention points focused on the prevention and the disappearance of existing health inequalities.
Thus, this concept includes both socioeconomic inequalities and environmental inequalities, among others. There could also be gender or racial inequalities, etc.
In its origin, socioeconomic inequalities were identified with inequality in health. Health inequality can be defined as an inequity in the spread of the disease. In other words, health inequality is defined as the systematic and potentially avoidable differences in one or more health aspects across socially, economically, demographically, or geographically defined populations or population groups. Two conditions must be met for a difference in health to be considered an inequality: it must be considered socially unjust and be potentially avoidable (i.e., there are available instruments that could avoid it).
Lately, among the axes of inequality, it is worth highlighting gender inequality. Gender inequality can be defined as a social, legal and cultural phenomenon in which people are discriminated against on the basis of their gender.