What is Poverty?
Poverty is somewhat difficult to define in universal terms and is often impossible to put together figures or amounts to it. Poverty is a relative term because it can either illustrate the condition of an individual or a family, or it can describe an entire community or society. (H. Swanepoel and F. de Beer, 2011).
Family Functioning
Whether children live with parents, single parents or neither parent it can have an impact on what care the family can provide for the child. Single parenting may increase the risk for poor behaviour and educational effects especially for young people because single parents are more likely to live in poverty. (C. Ward, 2015) The role of an absent father or present father also plays a role in
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C Potgieter, 1998). Rural poverty is characterised by overcrowded living conditions with poor infrastructure. People in rural areas are dependent on earnings from parents because usually the grandparents take care of the grandchildren. These people suffer nutritional disorders, illiteracy is high and children may go without education. The urban poor live in shacks that provide insufficient shelter. These people are exposed to crime and violence. Health and education is available but not near as appropriate as it should be. The youth and disabled suffer the most among the urban …show more content…
There are very limited healthcare facilities and resources made available to these people. Due to the fact there is need for love and attention people establish high- risk behaviour such as drug and alcohol abuse and sexual promiscuity. These are ways for people to cope but inevitably isn’t ineffective (M. C Potgieter, 1998).
Unemployment
Another factor that could contribute to poverty is unemployment. The Development Bank of South Africa believed that around 2,5 million unemployed people in South Africa in 1991 and that figure had increased substantially since 1980 (M.C Potgieter, 1998). The people who reside in rural areas usually move to bigger cities where they can seek jobs that have to experience ordeals such as crime and violence (M.C Potgieter, 1998). An ultimately because there is a lack of employment the crime rate increases.
Education
Children who are malnourished and weak have a disadvantage at school. They could have lacked the necessary brain development at an early age (H. Swanepoel and F.D. Beer, 2011). Education is seen as one of the most successful and influential measures that can be used against HIV/AIDS. As the saying is suggested that knowledge certainly is power which can be used as a preventative tool. With a better education individuals learn to improve their health and nutrition, it also helps with the possibility of getting a job with a higer salary ((H. Swanepoel and F.D. Beer,
There is a systematic erosion of black families. All too often, black male fathers are absent from the home, leaving black mothers to raise young black children in single parent households. This absence of black male fathers in America originated during the days of slavery. Dick Gregory penned the autobiography depicting his struggles for acceptance and equality in a country that resented him based on the color of his skin. Unfortunately, like many African American children, Dick grew up without a father in his household.
Effects of single African American mothers on their children is very critical in terms of how it is correlated. Having low financial status these children are raised with behaviors that are from an upbringing of social interaction around them. Because of that factor, many children tend to go through behavioral issues that impact the family structure, this later results in cases of psychological issues. In the society we live in today it is common for people to get married and build a relationship with one another. Most of the time to have a successful relationship one has to understand the value of family and culture.
How is poverty defined? It is difficult to answer this question because poverty in America is exaggerated compared to Third World countries. People in America tend to say they are in poverty, but in reality, they are not. If a person lives in true poverty, he/she is suffering, meaning no food, no roofs or just homeless. Anyone can think he/
Poverty is affecting billions of people around our world and the number is growing with each day. Many people think they can avoid the effects of poverty, but it is something that affects all of our daily lives. Many people see poverty as a person who lacks money, although this is true poverty is caused by many more things than being without money. Just the fact that one in two children live in poverty can help people see clearly the impact it has on our world. Poverty truly does influence the type of care and treatment a person will receive when they need it.
The solutions therefore interpreted as a need for greater economic growth, with a focus on building human capacity/capital. Conceptualization of poverty has broadened to include non-economic components. Thus, poverty is increasingly being recognized as multi-dimensional, distinguishing the numerous aspects of people’s lives affected by poverty, including economic and non-economic dimensions, and recognizing that poverty occurs within and is affected by the political, economic, social and cultural context (Sen,
Poverty and deprivation of many kinds is a very serious problem, not only in the United States, but also around the world. In a study in 2014, forty-seven million people living in the U.S. were considered to be in poverty; that is fifteen percent of its population . Poverty and deprivation is a serious topic that everyone should be aware of; if you are not aware of a problem,how are you going to fix it? You can find examples of this topic in almost every where; From books and movies to your everyday life. The most common known definition of poverty is economic poverty, but there is also social, emotional, and spiritual poverty and deprivation.
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.
Poverty is one of the most horrific epidemics in our society today. Poverty is the state of being extremely poor. It is a very serious problem that many people suffer from today. Many issues such as illness, hunger, and bad sanitation are all causes of poverty. Statistics show that there are over 35 million Americans that live in poverty.
Defined, poverty means someone who lacks the socially acceptable amount of money to survive. Poverty often leads to a cycle of not being able to afford what is needed across generations. The US has about 12.7% of its population below the poverty line and the rate has been decreasing. The two perspectives that look at this topic in both a positive and negative light are the structural functionalist and the conflict theory. The structural functionalist theory believes everything is a working part of society and is needed to create a sort of well oiled machine and that every part has its own use and needed function.
I. Introduction A. Thesis statement: A child’s early development is greatly impacted by living in poverty which leads to poor cognitive outcomes, school achievement, and severe emotional, and behavioral problems. II. Body Paragraph 1. Claim: According to (Short, 2016) poverty consists of two parts: a measure of need and resources available to meet those needs.
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.
‘Poverty’- a simple word with unlimited connotations. Poverty is a universal issue that has been plaguing our Earth for centuries; thus it is essential that the immensity of the situation is acknowledged by everyone. If looked up, you’ll find the exact definition of poverty being: ’general scarcity, dearth, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. [1] Poverty is a multifaceted concept, which includes social, economic, and political elements. [2] Poverty may be defined as either absolute or relative.’
Inefficient policies all around the world and especially in our country are contributing to problems in the society. And the biggest problem which the world faces today is the problem of “Poverty” and “Inequality”. It is hard for one to determine whether poverty causes inequality or is it the other way around because both these problems are interrelated. Poverty is something which is caused due to transferring wealth in to the hands of a specific group and the unjust policies of the government. And inequality is discriminating a person in all spheres of life which gives a rise to sense of deprivation.
Poor people being unable to take part in social and cultural norms leads to breakdown of social relation among the people The effects of poverty can be mainly categorized as unemployment, illiteracy, food security, psychological well-being, increased crime rate, child health, homelessness etc. Major effect of poverty is unemployment to those without land or dependable wage labor. Poor people can rarely find permanent, salaried job in the village or even in the city. Poor people engage in informal and daily wage labor with no security and low earnings.
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?