Socioeconomic Status, Measurement

Abstract Socioeconomic status (SES) is utilized in a broad range of sociological research and refers to the relative placement of individuals within the hierarchical social structure of a given society. An individual's SES is correlated with behavior and lifestyle, and SES has been one of the most robust and consistent variables in explicating variations among social groups in health status. SES is a multidimensional construct and has traditionally been measured by occupational prestige, educational attainment, and/or income. More recently, researchers have used area‐ based measures, such as neighborhood SES, and some have proposed that utilizing a life course perspective is crucial to more accurately understanding the relation between SES and health. Critics claim that researchers should seek to account for as many of the socioeconomic variables as possible while considering how differences in social groups may play a role in the interpretation of findings.