According to Schwartz-Nobel, America will lose as much as 130 billion in future productive capacity for every year that 14.5 American children continue to live in poverty (Koppelman and Goodhart, 2007). Sadly the seriousness of poverty is still often clouded by myths and misunderstandings by society at large. This essay studies the issue of poverty and classism in today's society. Causes of Poverty One of the main causes of poverty is the lack of education. The U.S. education system denies students in poverty the opportunities and access it affords to most other students.
Those who are already poor try hard to provide for their families with the money they make from their jobs. Many of them lack education so it is hard to have well-paying jobs. “Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament?” (“Causes of Poverty” 5) Therefore, corruption is one cause of poverty.
Just like families who are in the transitional house they also are affected by the same problems as people around the world. The one problem that correlates together with the transitional house and global poverty is the amount of unemployment with people who are in poverty. “Research shows that low-skilled, low-educated workers and the young are most vulnerable to unemployment in a downturn”. (Salvatore 1). The issue of poverty around the world is that adults do not have the correct skills or education which is the reason why they fall under unemployment, because they do not have the correct job to pay for bills, or possibly they do not have the ability to get a job because of their low education and skill level.
It has become a horrific issue all across the world. Because there are different causes of poverty each needs a specific solution. History in most countries began with the inequality based on financial wealth, very similar to today's world. Countries that experienced colonization and slavery had trouble getting of the discrimination. Poverty is defined as the lack of the minimum food and shelter necessary for maintaining life.
Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed, brings the audience into her personal journey as an intentional low-wage worker. Ehrenreich accentuates how society views low-wage workers: she highlights how society sees low-wage workers as drug and alcohol abusers, she reveals how society set up traps to prove that low-wage workers are liars and thieves, and shows how society creates a psychological effect, which affects how the working class views themselves. Many assume a low-wagers life is miserable due to not having a well-paying job. The fact is that many people think the poor are poor because they constantly spend their money unwisely, maybe even on drugs and alcohol. Looking in a low wage worker’s perspective, they see a world where people assume they are substance abuser, because their lives seem miserable, however in the wrong way.
About 47 million Americans of all colors, ethnicities and backgrounds are living at or below the poverty line. With this being said Poverty is not only happening within one race or culture, but it is happening all over America. This issue is a state issue that is affecting everyone. It affects families for different reasons. It affects the children 's mindset because they see their parents struggling just to get by and by seeing that it discourages children to want to better themselves and get a better education
Poverty can be defined as the lack of means necessary to meet a person’s basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. Poverty is a worldwide problem that affects people emotionally and often results in the death of thousands of people annually. Some may argue that poverty may be caused by one’s poor choices. However, it is simply a result of the social and economic effects that society plays on individuals. Social and economic effects such as discrimination, financial constraints and the lack of opportunities available to those citizens are just some of the common setbacks that people who undergo poverty are challenged with on a daily basis.
The Background of Poverty in America In the United States today there are many reforms that had been made to help cope with those who are living in poverty. However, these reforms have been keeping many from being able to climb the social class ladder because the “War on Poverty” has not been effective on ridding poverty in the U.S. According to the Heritage Foundation, there are about forty six million people who are living in poverty and it is a conflict in this country because it puts people of lower class at a disadvantage because they have to choose between necessities like healthcare, child care and food in order to help themselves and their family members; therefore, many sacrifices have to be made to insure their survival. Though many reforms have been made to help people living in poverty, there is still much work to be done to help the lower class maintain a sufficient standard of living. Many people are living in poverty due to the inability to find a job because some businesses are outsourcing jobs to developing countries since workers there are willing to be paid less than the average American worker.
The high unemployment rate is because of the lack of education given to poor people. When given the chance, most of the people living under poverty will do the best they can to earn enough money to support their families. Poverty is also due to high housing costs. These days, the price of houses are getting higher and higher and soon most people won’t be able to afford a place to live in, let alone food to eat or water to drink. Effects... ... middle of paper ... ...ies have also put their funds into education, a staggering $14.5 million from the US alone.
If the government stresses the seriousness of poverty and teaches people how to save money, poverty will decrease. Living in Poverty is our own fault. “It is based on bad choices, not a bad economy. The poor are getting poorer because of the lack of education, and knowledge of their futures; which is the second demographic characteristic of poverty. The ranks of the impoverished overflow with high school dropouts who are at a great disadvantage in today’s increasingly knowledgable economy’’ (Malanga 1).