Relative And Subjective Poverty

. A specific dollar amount that for yearly income is considered the threshold for families and when families fall below that poverty threshold, they are considered living in poverty (Aber Morris & Raver, 2012). This is a general definition that the government uses to define poverty and can be inaccurate in many cases. There are three different definitions that scientists use to define poverty, absolute, relative, and subjective. Absolute is when a families income falls below the poverty guideline. Relative poverty is how far below a family is compared to the median income. Lastly subjective poverty, which is how a family feels about how they are getting by and their economic circumstances (Aber Morris, & Raver, 2012). Subjective poverty could

I did not choose to rely solely on subjective poverty because I feel that some families could be living beyond their means or not being honest about their circumstances. While this is not true for all or a majority of cases, I do not think it should be a sole definition. Thus, using a combination of both relative and subjective poverty would be the most ideal way to define poverty. What I think is important to notice is that poverty simply is the lack of means. No matter how one defines poverty, it can severely impact a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. Poverty is not a foreign issue, it is right here in America. According to Aber and Morris Raver (2012), approximately 21.1% of children living in America are poor. Poverty also affects us locally, according to Joint venture, 1 in 7 children are living in poverty in San Francisco. (Joint Venture, 2015) There are many factors stemming from living in poverty that influence a child’s development including, poor nutrition, high stress, unequal education, unsanitary conditions,

Many adolescents drop out of school because they have to help work to help support their family, pregnancy, or these schools are not easily accessible. Poverty also affects a child’s social-emotional development. Children living in poverty are often times living in households that are noisy, overcrowded, or unsafe. Many children do not know how to deal with these stressors and can cause emotional issues within the child. High stress, anxiety, depression, and negative behaviors are among the issues that emerge from these stressors. (Aber Morris & Raver, 2012) In addition, families are often unable to afford or have the time to take their children to socially enhancing programs. These programs could include clubs, sports, libraries, parks, etc. These programs are great outlets of the stress they are facing at home and in their day-to-day life, when children do not have these they typically will turn to their friends or peers. In low-income neighborhoods, there is a lot of crime and violence; many children who turn to their friends or peers can become involved with delinquent