The Race Against Time

Abstract

In this paper I argue that time is a social determinant of health, and one that perpetuates racial health inequalities. Specifically, Black people in the United States experience time losses across numerous domains throughout the life course, putting them at risk of disproportionate morbidity and mortality. Fundamental cause theory holds that social conditions structure health through pathways to resources including money, knowledge, power, prestige, freedom, and social networks. Racialized time indirectly harms health by disrupting or denying access to these flexible resources and by undoing utility among those that are obtained. Racialized time harms health directly when it produces stress and exacerbates conditions of racial subordination. I examine racialized time in three categories: 1) Black people spending too much time to meet basic needs; 2) Black people having less time spent on them than is required; and 3) lost years of (good quality of) life. Linkages between time and health disadvantage exist in material resources, interactions with the state, intimate lives, public space, and cognitive processes.

A Matter of Time: Racialized Time and the Production of Health Disparities

“…The first type of racial disparities in time use that we examine stems from the idea that Black people’s time is often considered to be less important than White people’s time (Gee et al 2019; Kwate 2017). As Table 1 makes clear, discounted time differs most dramatically along the dimension of pacing, with almost no difference in temporal ordering and moderate differences in onset.…”

“…In light of these considerations concerning FCT, we draw on the concept of racialized time to outline how differential patterns of time use contribute to racial disparities in health. Racialized time has been conceptualized slightly differently depending on who is theorizing its ability to curtail the life chances of Black Americans (Gee et al 2019; Kwate 2017; Mills 2014). However, all interpretations share an underlying commonality that due to systemic racism, Black people are not able to strategically deploy time to maximize their outcomes, health and otherwise, to the same extent as White people.…”

“…First, we draw on extant research to substantiate our claim that time is a critical source of racial disparities in health. In so doing, we join in conversation with other scholars who have recently recognized this sizeable gap in the literature (Gee et al 2019;Kwate 2017). Second, we employ fundamental cause theory (FCT) to explain how racial disparities in time use could give rise to divergent population health outcomes.…”

Racial Equity in Planning Organizations

“…First, they enhance or diminish racial groups' agency. Examples of this include the concentration of Latinx workers at the bottom of organizational hierarchies (Maldonado, 2014), as well as instances where organizations spend more time serving White people at the cost of servicing Black people (Kwate, 2017). Second, organizations legitimate the unequal distribution of resources, at times by reifying notions of racial inferiority (Steele, 1997).…”