The Who, What, Where, When and Sometimes, Why.

Socioeconomic Status

High socioeconomic status (SES) is most often defined by:

  • High income and/or 
  • High education level

High SES has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer [350-357].

This increased risk is not related to higher SES itself. It’s related to differences in risk factors found in women with different education and income levels [350-357].

For example, compared to women with lower SES, studies show women with higher SES are more likely to [350-354,357]:

Each of these factors is related to an increased risk of breast cancer [350-354,356].

Learn about other risk factors for breast cancer.

Socioeconomic status and breast cancer screening and treatment

SES may also affect how likely a woman is to get breast cancer screening and how likely she is to have access to timely and high-quality care. For example, women who have health insurance are more likely than women who don’t have health insurance to get mammograms [6].

Learn more about breast cancer screening among different groups of women.

Learn about Susan G. Komen®’s commitment to health equity.

Updated 04/23/24

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