Socioeconomic status

coins in a jar

Encompasses not only income but also educational attainment, occupational prestige, and subjective perceptions of social status and social class. SES encompasses quality-of-life attributes and opportunities afforded to people within society and is a consistent predictor of a vast array of psychological outcomes.

Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology

Resources from APA

Expectant young woman listens to unrecognizable female counselor

APA Maternal Mental Health Resolution on Racially Minoritized Women

Maternal mental health disparities exist among racially minoritized women at higher rates than non-Hispanic White women, regardless of education and socioeconomic status
homeless person sleeping outside on the ground

Laws banning sleeping outdoors criminalize homelessness

Court rules that ordinances do not violate protections against cruel and unusual punishment

A new APA division centering on economic justice

Consider supporting a new proposed APA division focused on economic justice.
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Broadening the scope of psychology

Understanding societal structures and policies is key to improving community well-being
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What APA is doing

Underprivileged man's shoes
Advocacy

Socioeconomic status

APA Services advocates for federal policies and programs that reduce poverty and inequality, addressing the needs of low-income and economically populations.
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Programs

Socioeconomic status portfolio

The socioeconomic status portfolio is responsible for directing, overseeing, facilitating, and promoting psychology’s contribution to the understanding of SES and the lives and well-being of the poor.
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