Material Well-Being and Job Quality: Some Descriptive Statistics

Abstract

Income, essential commodities and housing are undoubtedly some of the main components of quality of life, and are essential factors for participating in normal life. Effective integration into society and employment is dependent on meeting the basic needs of shelter, while having a good home is important for family life and social relationships. Generally, the living environment will profoundly affect other quality of life outcomes such as employment and health (Jencks and Mayer, 1990; Ellen and Turner, 1997, Lupton, 2001; Buck, 2000; Friedrichs, 1997; Power, 2000; Kain, 1968, 1992; Wilson, 1996). The basic idea is that the outcome of one’s life choices and opportunities might vary if one lived or grew up in a different area (perhaps with a higher concentration of poverty, deprivation and/or unemployment).