Zeitschriftenartikel

Measuring inter-group inequalities in length of life

Abstract

Life expectancy is rarely used to measure socio-economic inequalities in the face of death. A measurement agenda for the analysis of inter-group differentials in length of life is proposed. First, it includes a known technique for the decomposition of differences between two life expectancies. Second, it shows a simple way to transform the population weights of social groups into their weights in life expectancy. Finally, it determines summary indices of inter-group inequality in length of life. Three empirical examples analyze inequalities in length of life: by race in the USA, by socio-occupational class in Finland, and by occupational category in Russia.