6.2.2 Perspectives on Quality of Life


Quality of life is a term used to describe how good a person's life is. It includes health, wealth, happiness, freedom, equality, personal satisfaction, and love of family and friends. Ideas about what makes up a good quality of life are difficult to state because each human being, as well as their definition of quality of life, is different.


Amhara women in sub-Sahara Africa carry heavy water jugs down a dirt road
Dr. Gilbert H Grosvenor/National Geographic Stock


Your quality of life depends on your perspective. We all value different things. Some people love possessions, while others have greater concern for relationships, their spiritual life, or the environment. What one individual considers a good quality of life, another may not. An Albertan teenager may think that a sports car or pick-up truck increases his quality of life. Another may feel that the chance to make a livelihood on the family farm makes her life better. Some might find meaning in their religion or spirituality, while a parent may feel that so long as he can feed his family and spend time with his children, his life is good. Some people get meaning from their jobs; others trade a certain amount of income for more free time. It all depends on perspective.

Quality of Life and Culture

One of the most important factors that determines what we value in our lives is our culture. For some people, when culture is lost, quality of life goes with it. In our globalizing world, lifestyles are changing rapidly. People who have difficulty coping with change, especially those who have lived in traditional societies, often suffer. Remember from unit one the workers in the business process outsourcing facility in India? Many of those employees moved from environments where men and women had very different roles. They relocated from small towns or villages to large cities. They changed their work hours to adjust to the different time zones around the world, limiting their time with family. While they may have a greatly improved their standard of living, their quality of life is not necessarily better.



Quality of Life and Human Rights

Quality of life does not always improve with more money. In fact, studies have shown that once people reach a certain level of prosperity in which their basic needs are met, more money does not make them happier. However, the ability of people to meet their basic needs and improve their health care, level of education, and life expectancy does have a direct impact on their level of happiness.

No matter what your income level or your values, to have a good quality of life is impossible without human rights. Human rights are based on the idea that every person in the world deserves to be treated with dignity. Every human being has worth and is entitled to certain rights, regardless of gender, race, nationality, or religion. In Canada, we may take these rights for granted, but they are far from reality in many nations of the world.