The role of hunting in a socioeconomic classification for Greenland.
The socioeconomic classification used in Western societies is not directly applicable to Greenland where other factors, such as success as a hunter, participation in community life, and raising children, also convey status and must be included in a status coding. In the 1993 Greenland Health Interview Survey the participants' hunting activities were estimated through a number of questions. Nineteen percent of male Greenlanders classified themselves as hunters when asked about their primary occupation, but in another question an additional 10% stated that they relied on hunting for a living. When asked about their job, hunters were confused as to whether hunting was considered a job by the researchers. This uncertainty may explain the difference between the two questions regarding classification of individuals as hunters. For future research it is necessary to develop a socioeconomic status classification which is culturally sensitive and suited to contemporary Greenlandic society.
Thomsen
K
K
Danish Institute for Clinical Epidemiology, Section for Research in Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Curtis
T
T
Bjerregaard
P
P
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003625:Data Collection; D003718:Denmark; D006116:Greenland; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009790:Occupations / Q000145:classification* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012923:Social Class