Utility of Cumulative Inequality Theory for Sociological studies of the Life Course.

The concepts of cumulative advantage and cumulative disadvantage have drawn considerable attention during the past decade including theoretical explications and empirical tests related to stratification and health. Despite the application of cumulative disadvantage theory in studies of health outcomes, the connection between the theory and most of the empirical applications has been indirect. We propose a middle-range theory to account for the structural generation of inequality and the way in which disadvantage accumulates over the life course. Seven axioms of cumulative inequality theory are specified, and research (e.g., the early origins of health, social class based health inequality) is used to illustrate the fundamental principles and expectations. Postulates are presented for each axiom which summarize the important themes of the axiom. The potential differences in the process of accumulation of advantage and disadvantage are explored and the relevance of cumulative inequality theory in sociological approaches to the life course is highlighted. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]