Social Exclusion
Introduction
The task at hand, is to define and discuss various types of poverty,
social exclusion, oppression and social policy, whilst indicating an
understanding of sociological theories and the impact of social policy
on society. In completing this assignment I hope to show that I have
assimilated some knowledge through reading, research, and the college
sequences so far. I will breakdown the assignment into its constituent
parts, and discuss each part under a clear heading. Throughout the
essay I will endeavour to show an awareness of sensitive issues,
anti-discriminatory practice, and how this affects the delivery of
social work services.
Defining Poverty
Poverty has been with us for hundreds of years, and research into this
subject dates back to the earliest day of sociology. Poverty may be
described as some individuals, and or groups who are disadvantaged in
comparison to others, and that the poor do not have enough to sustain
a decent standard of living. Does this really define poverty? What is
meant by 'decent' standard of living? Poverty can mean having a
'shortage of the necessities of life'. This comes under the concept of
'need'. Equally, it can mean being unable to secure all the 'benefits
of civilisation', which would come under the concept of 'social need'
(1) Townsend (1979) discusses at length the concept of poverty and
deprivation, and concludes that the two main types of poverty are
'Absolute'and 'Relative'poverty (2). Many would argue that there is no
Absolute Poverty in Britain and that it only exists in third-world
countries. Many homeless people in Britain would disagree, they l...
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...lusion Summary.
14. THOMPSON, Neil.,(1993). Anti-Discriminatory Practice. Basingstoke:
MacMillan.
15. TOWNSEND, Peter., (1970). Concept of Poverty. London: Heinemann.
16. TOWNSEND, Peter., (1979). Poverty in the United Kingdom.
Middlesex: Penguin, Harmondsworth.
Websites Visited
http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/sp92.asp
www.researchweb.org.uk/pdfs/jrf8/pdf
http://teenwriting.about.com/library/blank/blstory2180.htm
http://www.dss.gov.uk/publications/dss/1999/poverty/main/chapt2a.htm
http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/sp111.asp
http://www.wtltnet.org.uk/wtltnewsite2/training/m1frpovsocjus.htm
www.eoc.uk/advice/equalpay.htm
www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts.htm
www.online.gov.uk
www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/pankhurst01.html
The notion of overseeing welfare wasn’t always the case in the UK. Before this the ‘Poor Law’ was operated. (1598-1948) This consisted on a basis that the poor amongst society were essentially a problem of their own making and in turn needed to be punished because of this. ‘Those without jobs were lazy, feckless or in some other way delinquent’ (Coats: 34: 2012) Welfare was deemed to be a privilege, a goodwill gesture from the rich to the poor. Harsh living conditions and the punishments were seen as motivation for the poor to strive to improve their own lives.
The connection between poor living conditions, low income families, and inequality of varying groups go hand in hand when dealing with poverty as discussed in Evicted by Matthew Desmond. These issues are often swept under the rug for those not immersed in the situation and can even be unknown. There is gender inequality which can affect every aspect of life, including dwelling. There is also racial inequality which also renders the quality of life. Both themes have a deeper meaning and are connected at the source of poor education and job discrimination.
This review essay assessed and examined the success of clarifying poverty through the concepts of social inequality and social exclusion. Despite Raphael’s tremendous writing skills he still unconsciously was biased or contradicted himself in addition to limiting his views. –write questions
Jones, L. and D, E. 2007. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare. [online] Available at: EBSCOhost [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].
Over the last 10 years or so, the way of looking at the concepts like poverty and social exclusion has changed by a million miles. More and more people are drawn towards the idea of thinking about such things in a more detailed manner so as to gain a deeper understanding of it. For that is the only way, we can actually move towards truly dealing with them, instead of being the bird that puts its most sincere efforts in trying to catch the horizon which always moves away from it. The reason behind this shift in people’s mentalities is the broad acknowledgment that poverty is about more than just low incomes. What lies at the heart of how most people understand ‘poverty’ are their observations of instances of lower than reasonably required consumption and inadequate living standards. Aspects of poor health, a shortened lifespan, limited access to education, knowledge and information, and powerlessness in various domains are also associations that this term has conjured up.
Jim Crow Laws- The Jim Crow Laws were a set of laws with the purpose of allowing the discrimination of African-Americans in the United States. Jim Crow Laws had been previously used in the majority of American states to aid in the enforcement of segregation. These laws made interracial marriage illegal, required business to keep their clients of differing races separate, and promoted the various forms of segregation between races. Following The American Civil Rights Movement, the thirteenth (13th), fourteenth (14th), and fifteenth (15th) Amendments were added to the American Constitution, causing many southern segregation supporters to request their state legislators enact laws (Jim Crow Laws) that would allow them to continue to segregate African-Americans in everyday life. These laws and ones like them are now no longer in use in modern American society, due to segregation being illegal in all American states. These laws were the sort that required Melba and other African-Americans to have to go to a lesser quality school (Horace Mann). Jim Crow Laws were the basis for the system on which segregation was carried out.
Social exclusion is a contested term with multiple definitions, it is complex, multifaceted and has a variety of dimensions. Social exclusion is ‘the dynamic process of being shut out, fully or partially, from any of the social, economic, political and cultural systems which determine the social integration of a person in a society’ (Walker and Walker 1997:8). There’s no one universal definition of social exclusion, however lack of participation in any dimension of society is at its core. Therefore, social exclusion is subjective and leads to a lack of agency, which results to the feeling of alienation and isolation from society. Hence, ‘social exclusion is a complex and multi-dimensional process… it affects both the quality of life of individuals
Social class is more than a word, more than a label, it is a description of the norms and values of a social group in society. It is powerful description, a description so powerful that many people live their lives around it. With all groups, there are stigmas that surround it. A stigma is a negative social label that not only changes others’ behavior toward a person but also alters that person’s own self-concept and social identity. In order to show that social class is not just an economic label of groups but a social construction, Robert Granfield uses the idea of stigma to discuss the experience of working-class students in prestigious universities of law. He does so in his article ‘Making it by Faking it’.
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, riding on a bus, or renting or purchasing a home (Wikipedia, 2017). Segregation is defined by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance as "the act by which a (natural or legal) person separates other persons on the basis of one of the enumerated grounds without an objective and reasonable justification, in conformity with the proposed definition of discrimination (Explanatory memorandum, Para. 16).
Social stratification is seen everywhere within the United States and around the world. As discussed in lecture, there are two types of stratification systems, and both are prominent in the United States. The first type is achievement based, which depends on a person’s wealth and accomplishments (Wadsworth). In the film, “People Like Us,” this system is presented. A teenage boy is embarrassed of his mother and his family’s social status, so he hides is social class from his friends. The second system is ascription-based stratification which has to do with what an individual is born with. The school that was interviewed and observed in “People Like Us,” prove that the family you are born into plays a huge role in popularity, and the group of friends you choose to surround yourself with. Another example in this film was the WASP label. The man they interviewed, explained that you are
Ralph Ellison’s exposure to the Jim Crow south in the 1950’s, he saw inspired him to write Invisible Man 1952. Ellison addressed the nature of American and Negro identities and their relationships. The protagonist represents black society burdened with social discrimination. Ellison’s use of metaphors, symbols, and diction to reveal black obedience is the only prescribed course for getting along in the segregated south. He does so by alluding the invisible man to many objects such as a circus act in the battle royal and using many different adjectives. Throughout the novel the invisible man is on a quest to find himself, he comes across many different obstacles on this journey. Thus causing him to reveal how blacks were consistently oppressed in the south during the 1950’s.
Sociology focuses on the structure and organization of a society and how this correlates to social problems and individuals. The sociological thoughts on poverty have revolved around the importance of social structures and individual agency when explaining the prevalence of poverty over the years. In many accounts, specifically political ones and academic studies, the emphasis was put on the ‘undeserving poor’, which outlined individual behaviours and apparent moral failings as key causes of poverty. Most recently, there has been arguments on whether welfare system is responsible for encouraging and supporting claimants into welfare dependency. Another idea was brought around troubled families or families who have never worked as key explanations for poverty. Sociologists have used empirical evidence to challenge individual and sociological explanations for poverty (Sociological perspectives on poverty). They emphasize the importance of the broader context and the different opportunities open
Our English heritage has greatly affected social welfare today. Some of the standards set in England include: indoor relief; a national policy for the poor; the provision of serving the poor by placing them in institutions; and the categorization of the poor into two basic categorizes, the worthy poor and the able-bodied poor (unworthy poor). The Elizabethan Poor Law also set precedents which include: clear government responsibility for those in need; government authority to force people to work; government enforcement of family responsibility; responsibility for carrying out programs at the local level; and strict residence requirements.
Discrimination is keeping us from World Peace Discrimination will always keep our planet from achieving world peace. Everyone has become highly judgmental on others, that can’t be kept to themselves. In today’s society, everyone wants to speak, and when it is not their turn, they just hear and never listen. They will never go without giving their personal judgment to discriminate someone, whether it’s face to face or on social media. There are many types of discrimination such as racial, religious, social, economic, physical, mental, and even discrimination upon gender.
Poverty is a very difficult concept to have an agreed definition or how it should be measured. As a result of lack of common purpose or goals, it is challenging to establish focused solutions that resolve this issue. The Children's Commissioner's Expert Advisory Group define child poverty as to children who "experience deprivation of the material resources and income" that is necessary for them to achieve their full potential and are excluded from the normal patterns of modern life (Children's Commissioner, 2012, p1). These children miss out on opportunities that most members of New Zealand society take for granted. A universal understanding is that there are two types of poverty - absolute or relative. Absolute poverty refers to lack of one or more basic needs (e.g. food and shelter) that is essential for the individual to remain alive, or it can threaten or cause harm to t...