5

This article analyses unequal opportunities for health related to original class and family background in Europe. The literature has recently highlighted the influenceof original class background on health in adulthood and the existence oftransmission between the generations. The data from the 2004-2005 round of SHARE offer an opportunity to study a representative sample of European seniorsfor the impact of their parents’occupation and longevity on their perceived health. Dichotomous probit models were used to study the impact of original class and family background on descendants’ perceived health, after controlling for age, gender and country of origin, and therefore to confirm the existence of unequalopportunities for health in Europe, and to explore the mechanisms of these inequalities, particularly by separating the direct impact of original classbackground on the descendants’ long-term health from its indirect impact via the determination of the descendant’s own social status. The results show the existence of unequal opportunities for health linked to theparents’ class background and health in Europe. Thus, the probability of reporting being in good health gradually increases with father’s and mother’s occupationallevel and with parents’ longevity. That impact of original class background seemsto be attributable to the existence of a direct impact on long-term health but also to the impact of social reproduction. The results suggest country-specific characteristics linked to differences in class structure between European countries. Since original class background and health of parents are circumstances beyond individual responsibility, these differences in health are unjust and warrant the implementation of policies aimed at reducing them.