Poverty and Classism

Poverty is the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor. An author for United States Census Bureau said, “In 2014, the official poverty rate was 14.8 percent. There were 46.7 million people in poverty” (DeNavas-Walt and Proctor 2015). It has become a crisis effecting individuals and family’s world wide. Many individuals that have been raised or fallen into poverty struggle to ever get out.

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. Hence, poverty is not caused by the individual but by society. One issue that leads to the condition of poverty is discrimination. When people are poor, society views them as ‘nobodies’; they are often taken advantage of and may receive the lowest paying jobs. People are often discriminated against based on their level of education.

Young people who drop out of school may be poor because they lack the required skills needed to get good jobs, therefore adding to a system that forces them to only be able to live in low-income, economically starving areas. Moreover, education is a basic requirement in order to climb a hierarchy of income in our society, so uneducated people are forced to become content with their surroundings. Systemic discrimination can be said to be a form of institutional injustice that depends on this quiet oppression in order to maintain a history of past dominance. There are many types of barriers that are not openly blatant and are in place so that minorities don’t get the opportunity to overcome these obstacles. As a result, many minorities including women cannot overcome ranks in the workforce and are left with the lower paying jobs.

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. This impacts people around the world and in Greeley because they do not have the correct tools to remove them selves from poverty. Globally the issues of poverty and low education go hand and hand, many countries have education systems that are helping children in low poverty areas work there way to becoming successful in the future. Just like countries globally the transitional house helps children get into the Greeley school system, with a free education this helps out children get their education and succeed just like

There is a lack of jobs available, especially to individuals who were not able to receive a diploma or degree which prevents a much needed income to struggling families. Poverty can generate broken families such as single parent homes. Stress from worrying about money is a crucial cause of arguments in relationships that ultimately may end. Nutrition is a good foundation of a healthy life, yet several poor individuals cannot afford nutritious foods. Many jobs are at the low end of the pay scale, which

Families that do not make enough income rely on food stamps. However, families that make a little, emphasis on the little, over the standard income are disqualified for the program. In other words, they are stuck; they make too little to provide enough food for the table and yet make too much to receive food stamps. There are research findings that have proven children in poverty are more likely to display higher rates of disruptive behavior (Roy & Raver, 2014). For the reason that parents who live in poverty are at higher risk in losing their jobs, working multiple jobs, poor health care, and unsafe neighborhoods, it is difficult for parents to have quality and efficient childcare and healthy parenting styles.

If people are hungry they will be weak, which makes them more vulnerable to a disease and because they are unable to afford healthcare they get more and more ill. They may also infect others if their disease is contagious. Nearly 50% of the population of poor countries is uneducated. Many people don't realise education is still lacking in some areas where poverty level is great. Many families cannot afford to send their children to schools, so instead they send them to work for money, which helps clear their debt.

Although, there is plenty of evidence refuting this finding many people tend to think of the poor as lacking the knowledge to attain and obtain a well paying job. For this reason, people of poor economic background receive fewer opportunities in the work force. Poverty culture gives explanation for the existence of poverty through "the continual reinforcement of the cycle of poverty (p. 195, Parrillo)" adapted by children of poor families. Poverty culture consists of unproductive actions such as a lack of education, teenage pregnancy, drug use, a lack of trust in the authorities and a pessimistic attitude. It has been argued that the "negative orientation toward life and work makes them ill-equipped to enter the societal mainstream (p. 195, Parrillo)."

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).

For example, a lot of people live in a poor and corrupt country which doesn't provide enough government support for the citizens. Some people are born into a poor family and can't build their way to success because they can't afford education. Others go through tragic incidents such as getting fired or getting bankrupt and losing everything that they have. There are many solutions to decreasing the growth and rate of poverty, but there are no solutions to get rid of poverty once and for all. For one, poverty can be prevented by more government support to the people.