Role Of Poverty In America Essay

We live a much different time where the cost of living has increased and the job availability has decreased. “According to the Pew Study on the American Dream, social mobility is increasingly difficult, if not impossible; the study found those born at both the top and the bottom of the “income ladder” stay where they are from one generation to the next.” (Rooks) Meaning that if you are born into poverty it is more likely than not that you will stay there. This could help to reason why politicians have a hard time coming up with a good plan of action to help those in poverty.

The United States exhibits the highest imbalance of wealth distribution than any other major developed nation (Inequality.org). In fact, the richest 160,000 families in America own as much wealth as the poorest 145 million families (Fortune). As the wealth gap increases, more and more individuals are driven into poverty. Unequal wealth distribution also results in a phenomenon known as the cycle of poverty. The cycle of poverty describes instances where families become trapped in poverty for generations due to the restricted access of essential resources, such as education.

This factor has not only economic drawbacks but social problems are increasing at the same time (Kennickel, 2003). It leads to crimes and unsafety. Wealth inequality in America is increasing specially after the Great Recession of 2008 (Kenworthy & Smeeding, 2013; Allegretto, 2011). “The wealthiest 1% of U.S. households had net worth that was 225 times greater than the median or typical household’s net worth in 2009” (Allegretto, 2011). John Slater (2015) suggests that top 1% will gain more wealth than bottom 99% in 2016 if the government doesn’t take any measures to prevent it.

Classism is a major issue that plagues American society. Classism separates groups by their economic status in society. America is perceived to be a middle class society, however in reality the middle class does not hold majority of the nation’s wealth. Most of the nation’s wealth is held by 1% of the population in America which consists of 34% of the nation’s wealth, meanwhile “the richest 20% of Americans hold nearly 85% of the total household wealth in the country” (Adams et al, 2013, p. 151). American citizens that are a part of the upper class are privilege because they have access to majority of the resources.

A concerning issue in the well-shaped American society Today, there are many well-shaped societies all over the world, such as the American society. However, there are no societies in the world without issues that concerns them. Although people from poor countries would believe that the American society is perfect, just like the Utopian society, there is no perfect society. The “perfect” American society is, in fact, affected by a lot of social issues.

Financial fears have grown increasingly common in our society. It seems that the pile of bills on the kitchen table continues to grow as the money in our wallets continues to shrink. Everyday there are those who are unable to sleep because the fear of not being able to make ends meet gnaws at them. Research shows that financial fears have become some of the most prominent fears in America. But why is this the case?

In the article “Confronting Inequality” by Paul Krugman it explains how and why large changes between wages of wealth and the problems between the social classes. America's middle class in today’s society are exceeding their limits in effort to give their children opportunities many middle class parents did not have themselves. Ways that many middle class parents are doing this is by buying homes that they can't afford; this is so their children will be able to attend a good school. Another reason why middle class parent are doing this so that their children can have more opportunities to one day slow the growing gap between the wealthy and the poor. Another reason that inequality between the classes is important Krugman believes is because

Income inequality is still a problem in America, but there are ways to fight against it. Job disadvantages and food drives both prove that income inequality still exists in America. According

Tax cuts and the middle class. The most important social class in America is shrinking at an alarming rate. The middle class, the driver of the economy is becoming few and are between. This is impart by stagnant wages and salaries for low skill jobs that need little to no education but also huge tax breaks for the tip top 1% makes the middle class pay for what is lost from them.

“The bottom 40% of Americans own almost nothing.” Said the video, Wealth Inequality In America. The lower class are scraping by and are not able to invest in stocks or other consuming items whether it deal with money or time. The video, Wealth Inequality in America also said, “The top 20% of Americans own almost everything.” The wealthy community should contribute more to the lower class, allowing more equality of wealth.

Poverty affects us all. There are many causes of poverty: born into poverty would be one. Poverty is a growing global issue that not only affect one person, but a country itself because we are all apart of a system. Poverty Trap is the main causes of hunger, mainly in Africa and Asia. According to the article World Food Programme, “People living in poverty cannot afford nutritious food for themselves and their families.

I. Rank R., Mark.2011. “Rethinking American Poverty.” Context 10(2):16-21. II. Misconceptions the public has about poverty mostly who is responsible for preventing it.

Poverty can adversely affect the population in so many ways. Families living in poverty can face emotional and social challenges, cognitive lacks and health and safety issues and acute and chronic stresses. Levels of stress increase with the economic circumstances. Subsequent poverty and job loss are associated with violence in families, including child and elder abuse. These families are also more likely to be exposed to illnesses, job loss, eviction, criminal victimization and family death. Children living in constant poverty also show the worst cognitive development, compared to children from higher socio-economic backgrounds ("Hunger and poverty", 2017).

Poverty still occurs across the modern world which we live in nowadays. While the majority of people would relate the word poverty with less developed countries the truth is that poverty is to be found everywhere you look. Yet the term, poverty, is brought up to discussion. Because would you consider yourself poor even though you didn’t know the better scenario existed? And isn’t it sometimes enough just to have a bed to sleep in, food to eat and people around who love you? Some might say that whether or not you consider yourself poor are simply up to your mindset. Because sometimes just being grateful for what you have and not trying to search for the unattainable are more than enough. Having all the riches in the world is not necessarily the key to happiness and

Despite the great wealth the United States possesses, it has for long struggled with poverty which is said to be inherited from one generation to another. The culture of poverty hinders those affected from economic betterment however much assistance they obtain from social programs put in place. The term Culture of poverty is believed to have been coined by Oscar Lewis, who suggested that children who grow up in poverty-stricken families are highly likely to adopt the norms and practices that encourage poverty. Thus, these children, he believed, would replicate the adapted values in their lives which would in turn generate a cycle of intergenerational poverty in the long run (Bell et al, 2013). Thus the culture of poverty is a topic which creates heated debates in both the public and political arenas.