Poverty has been a major problem over the last decade and will continue to be a problem unless the government provides solutions to the problem. Poverty isn’t common in male-headed households; however, it is very common in female-headed households. Female-headed households are households that are headed by widowed, unmarried, divorced and often separated women. Based on an article written in 2014, “two and five female-headed families with children live in poverty” (Gould 2012). Before I talk about the reasons for the feminizations of poverty, I want to talk about exactly what the feminization of poverty is. So, what exactly is the feminization of poverty? “Feminization of poverty is a phenomenon in which the woman represents disproportionate …show more content…
For most jobs, out there an education is a requirement, so for women that are in poverty that is deprived of an education, which limits their chances of making money to support their families is just sickening to me and something seriously needs to be done about that. However, “the education of women and children, especially girls, can create a greater opportunity for women to lift themselves out of poverty and increase their social position” (Boundless 2016). If women and children can create greater opportunities for women to finally come out of poverty would be amazing, and they will get the respect and the opportunities they deserve, and for those girls who do help women out of poverty will have a greater impact on the future generation of women and children who are in poverty. One of the reasons for the feminization of poverty is because, in a household, the girls' education is often sacrificed to allow the male siblings to attend school because they have the best opportunity to earn the money and support their “family (Boundless 2016). There are several different types of jobs for women, there are jobs that are run by the government, and ones that are difficult and requires a lot of effort. That would be called an informal workplace, and that is another reason for the feminization of poverty because they work in informal workplaces. Unfortunately, many women work in informal workplaces, which reduces the regulation of their employment. “Working in an informal …show more content…
I think the government needs to higher the minimum wage so it makes it easier for people to live, especially females in poverty. If the minimum wage was raised, millions of Americans would be lifted out of poverty and it would increase wages. Good news! There are solutions to poverty, that can happen, ending poverty is not impossible. I am going to tell you ten effective solutions the government can do to improve poverty. The government and congress can create good jobs, educate women, raise wages, microfinance, gender equality, transparency in government spending, cancel the national debt, create access to healthcare, create access to clean water and sanitation, and need to provide nutrition, especially to infants (Prinson 2014). Minimum wage is different for every state, but the minimum wage for Florida as of 2017 is $8.10 per hour which is an increase from 2015 which was $7.25. It seems that the minimum wage is increasing every year; which is awesome. If that is true and continues, the young children today will grow up and make over $15 an hour and will be able to support and provide for themselves and their families. There are “people in developing countries that live on $1.25 a day, or even less” (Prinson 2014). “This is more than one-seventh of the world’s population” (Prinson 2014). There are almost a billion people that do not have enough food to eat, more than a billion people lack access to
Poverty continues to grow in America. The average minimum wage in the United States is $7.35 an hour- far too low in today’s society. Key expenses, for example, gas and housing prices, have gone up significantly since the minimum wage was last changed in 2007 (Wagner 52). The laws creating the minimum wage were intended to improve the standard of living and decrease poverty. Raising minimum wage is a vital step in decreasing poverty and giving every family the opportunity to survive and succeed. Millions of hard-working Americans are below the poverty line and need an increase in pay. Minimum wage must be raised because it will diminish poverty and assist the working class to support their families.
Should the minimum wage increase? Well, raising minimum wage both has the pros and cons. Still the fact that increasing the minimum wage nationwide would increase millions of workers’ earnings is deniable. I suppose that’s why some people advocates raising the minimum wage will grow the economy for everyone. In 2014, the president of the United States, Obama, called the current Congress to raise the national minimum wage, which proves that Obama is actually supports raising the minimum wage. ‘February 2014 Congressional Budget Office Report The Effects of a Minimum-Wage Increase on Employment and Family Income is the latest attempt to do so, in this response to Members of Congress with respect to an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per
Before we can explain the causes of poverty, one must first define what poverty is. If you were to ask someone for their definition of poverty, you would get several different definitions. There has been much conflict in the United States over defining poverty, but according to Diana DiNitto (2007), poverty can be defined in six different ways. Poverty as deprivation, inequality, lack of human capital, culture, exploitation, and structure are the six different ways. When a family or individual does not have the adequate amount of income to meet all of their basic needs, they are described as being deprived. Poverty as deprivation explains that a family or individual is deprived when they are living below the standard of...
Poverty is a significant threat to women’s equality. In Canada, more women live in poverty than men, and women’s experience of poverty can be harsher, and more prolonged. Women are often left to bear more burden of poverty, leading to ‘Feminization of poverty’. Through government policy women inequality has resulted in more women and children being left in poverty with no means of escaping. This paper will identify some key aspects of poverty for Canadian women. First, by identifying what poverty entails for Canadian women, and who is more likely to feel the brunt of it. Secondly the discussion of why women become more susceptible to poverty through government policy and programs. Followed by the effects that poverty on women plays in society. Lastly, how we can reduce these effects through social development and policy.
Imagine a world where you are working overtime, seven days a week, yet your kids are starving. You can’t get the education you need because you don’t have the time and money to afford it, and you can’t change jobs because this is the only one you can get. Unfortunately, this is the reality for millions of Americans living today. The federal minimum wage is too low to help families, and actually mathematically speaking, too low to survive on. The quality of life for minimum wage families is terribly low, and that is unacceptable. As humans, we should be looking after others and helping the poverty come out of their continuous cycle. Raising the minimum wage would not only help families be able to afford a better quality of life, but help them to afford healthy food, get an adequate education, and invest in the necessary health care they need.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2014 African Americans held the highest poverty rate of 26%, with Hispanics holding the second highest rate at 24% (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). When comparing this to the poverty rates of Whites at 10% and Asians at 12% in 2014, we see that in America, racial and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to experiencing poverty (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). In addition, discrimination is seen between genders among those living in poverty. Family households of a single adult are more likely to be headed by women and are also at a greater risk for poverty (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). In 2014, 30.6% of households headed by a single woman were living below the poverty line compared to 15.7% for households headed by a single male (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). Many factors such as poor wages for women, pregnancy associations, and the increase of single-woman parented families have impacted the increase of women in poverty. Children are most harshly affected by poverty because for them the risks are compounded, as they lack the defenses and supports needed to combat the toxicity surrounding them. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 21% of all U.S. children (73.6 million children) under 18 years old lived in poverty in 2014 (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor,
The minimum wage today has a lot of issues; some people say it is not enough to live comfortably. Many agree that there needs to be an increase in minimum wages and by doing that it can help with our issues of poverty. Statistics show that a worker who is full time and earning minimum wage makes only $15,080 a year, which is under the federal poverty line for a family of two. (Gitis, 2013) The problem with that is $15,080 is not a sufficient amount that a person can live and grow on. “A family of two can consist of a mother and son or daughter, father and son or ...
Everyone knows what the word poverty means. It means poor, unable to buy the necessities to survive in today's world. We do not realize how easy it is for a person to fall into poverty: A lost job, a sudden illness, a death in the family or the endless cycle of being born into poverty and not knowing how to overcome it. There are so many children in poverty and a family's structure can effect the outcome. Most of the people who are at the poverty level need some type of help to overcome the obstacles. There are mane issues that deal with poverty and many things that can be done to stop it.
A raise in the minimum wage is only a temporary solution to fixing the problems in the United States. The federal minimum wage was introduced in 1938, during the Great Depression, and has already been increased 22 times. There are already 19 states that pay their employees well over the federal minimum wage. The highest minimum wage in the United States is in Seattle, Washington, and is set at fifteen dollars an hour. Interestingly enough, if minimum wage followed inflation, then it would be set at $4.24 an hour, which means it is already $3.01 over that amount that it should technically be (James Sherk 2013). Continued increases of the minimum wage in the United States need to be stopped as it will result in devastating impacts on low-skilled
When Dyk is explaining poverty of the poor rural Southern Black Women, she also says that, “You will be encouraged by their strength and resiliency.” (Dyk178). This means that even though some women have to prostitute themselves and face domestic as well as community violence, they keep on trying to find different ways to earn, so that they can feed their children and give them a better life. Similarly, Coontz presents it in a different way and call it economic independence. One of the reasons why divorce rates are high now, is because women are economically independent because they are educated. They did used to earn in the past, but now they have control over their income and they don’t put up with things like men abusing them or domestic violence; this shows that women have become stronger economically and emotionally as compared to how they were in the past. Those who criticize women for working and not spending time with their children, Coontz states that, “Kids do better when their mothers are happy with their lives.” (Coontze98).
Living in poverty as a lower class individual can be very stressful, anxious, and very little to no resources in order to survive for their own needs, as a person and also the needs of their family on a daily basis. Most, individuals who may live in poverty in the U.S. are single mothers who have children to raise on their own. In addition, to all single mothers, who can relate to the needs of working multiple jobs, and occasionally are going to school and getting a higher education; is not an easy job. Single mothers their first priority is to provide the needs of their living conditions and provide all of the needs of their own children. The following article “Angela Whitiker’s Climb” (2005), by Isabel Wilkerson was a case study
In conclusion, minimum wage workers need an increase in their incomes. They need more money to provide food, shelter, and other necessities for their family and themselves. Minimum wage should be increased because poverty will be reduced, it will be good for the economy, and provide more for families. Raising the minimum wage is also about reducing the inequality of it.
Although raising minimum wage would help many people in many ways. Raising the minimum wage would be a great plus for average American families. Poverty is a very big problem in America right now, but it also a problem all of the world, and has been for years.
Raising the minimum wage will not solve the poverty problem and will in fact distract our leaders from focusing on solving the issue in substantive, creative, and productive manner. Throwing more money at poor people does not solve their financial problems. Better education and better jobs
One of the Biggest Challenges for Women Today: The Feminization of Poverty The division of labour and education along gender lines, racial inequalities and discrimination, and unpaid domestic labour all contribute to the growing feminization of poverty. Feminists are working to decrease the income gap, to benefit the overall health of women and the population at large. The term feminization of poverty describes the disproportionate number of women who are poor, and its link to the division of labour along gender lines (Calixte, Johnson, & Motapanyane, 2010). The Canadian Labour Congress reported that in 2005, women working full time earned 70.5 cents to the dollar that every male in a comparable job earned ( as cited in Calixte, et al., 2010, p. 17). Across the board, women are more likely to suffer from poverty than men are (Harnan, 2006).