Social differences in health and mortality constitute a persistent finding in epidemiological, demographic, and sociological research. It is a topic that is much discussed in the current political debate and it is among the most urgent public health issues. However, we still do not know whether socioeconomic mortality differences increase or decrease with age.

This book provides a comprehensive, critical discussion of all aspects involved in the relationship between socioeconomic status, health and mortality. It synthesizes the sociological theory of social inequality and an empirical study of mortality differences that has been conducted by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Rostock, Germany). This study is the most comprehensive analysis of socioeconomic mortality differences in the literature, both in terms of quantity and quality of data, and in terms of the statistical method used: that of event-history modeling.