Poverty and its Impact on Society

This assignment delves into the complex issue of poverty and its far-reaching effects on individuals, communities, and nations. It examines the socioeconomic dimensions of poverty, including income inequality, access to resources, and opportunities. The assignment also explores the psychological and health consequences associated with poverty. Furthermore, it analyzes various strategies and policies aimed at mitigating poverty, such as social safety nets, education programs, and economic development initiatives.

Running Head: CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 1
Childhood Poverty and Society In U.S.A

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 2
Abstract
The main aim of the report focuses on the childhood poverty. Childhood poverty is related to
the children who are living in poverty. In 2006, the UN general assembly has taken into
consideration the definition of child poverty which noted that the children who are living in
poverty were deprived of water, facility of sanitation and also they are not able to access the
basic health care services. So, in the first phase of the report the causes of poverty like medical
bills, family issues, religion, mortgage payments and drugs are considered. In the next phase of
the report the discussion will be made on types of Poverty. The types of poverty that will be
discussed in this report are Absolute, relative, Situational and chronic poverty. In the last phase
of the report the focus will be given on the remedies and implications in the childhood poverty.

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 3
Contents
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................2
Childhood Poverty.......................................................................................................................................4
Impacts and Causes of Childhood Poverty..................................................................................................4
Family issues...........................................................................................................................................4
Medical Bills...........................................................................................................................................5
Loan payments........................................................................................................................................6
Religion...................................................................................................................................................6
Drugs.......................................................................................................................................................6
Poor Economy.........................................................................................................................................7
Types of Childhood Poverty........................................................................................................................8
Absolute Poverty.....................................................................................................................................8
Relative poverty......................................................................................................................................8
Situational Poverty..................................................................................................................................8
Generational Poverty or Chronic Poverty................................................................................................9
Implications of childhood poverty for society.............................................................................................9
Remedies related to childhood poverty......................................................................................................10
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................12

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 4
Childhood Poverty
Childhood poverty is related to the children living in poverty. Child poverty imposes the
restriction on the children involvement related to the activities and services. There are many
children who grow up in the low-income households and it is very difficult for them to fulfill
their basic needs and wants. Poverty arises when the household income is less than 60 percent of
the average income. The children that are not able to meet the standard of wealth in the nation
are considered as a poor child.
Poverty has a direct impact on the living standard of an individual. There are limited
resources available for the people to fulfill their basic needs and wants. No additional options are
provided to the children for living their lives in an effective manner. In the U.S.A, it is seen that
1 in every 7 children come from a poverty or low-income background. Even though the U.S. is
considered a rich nation, it still has a high rate of poor families. The childhood poverty rate is
high as compared to the other developed countries. In the United States, there are approximately
21 percent of the children who have an income below the federal poverty.
According to (Gordon, 2015), Childhood poverty is neither an “Act of God” Nor it is
considered as “Act of nature” and nor it is evitable. It is one of the political choices.
According to (UNICEF, 2007), Children who are living in poverty are considered as
those who faces deprivation of the emotional and material resources to stay alive and also do not
enjoy their own rights to participate as equal members of the society.
So, by evaluating the definitions it is seen that childhood poverty is related to the
individuals who are not able to access the basic necessities that are essential to survive. They do
not enjoy the same rights given to other people, as poor people are neglected by the society.
Impacts and Causes of Childhood Poverty
Poverty is caused by not having enough money to spend and also related to the insufficient
resources available to the children. There are many causes that are related to the childhood
poverty. The causes are:

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 5
Family issues
The major cause of the child poverty is related to the issue that arises in the family. The
children are affected by the issues of the family like lack of funds, family stress, and peer
pressure. A child who belongs in the low-income family background suffers from stress from the
family. For families, the humiliating situation takes place when they are not in a position to give
fees for the school activities. It also gives direct impact on the self-esteem (Yurdakul & Atik,
2016). Due to the family stress or pressure many people get indulged in various wrong activities
like divorcing, and gambling that can lead to poverty. The direct impact is on the upbringing of
the children. If the family is not able to spend on the children, then it can give negative impact on
the personality and also on the behavior. Parents who are struggling to raise a child and belong to
a low-income family background suffer from extensive stress (Anderson, Leventhal & Dupéré,
2014).
Childhood poverty arises from the background of the family. If the family belongs to a
low-income group, then the direct impact will be given on the upbringing of the child. If the
family has a strong background, then it will give a positive impact on the upbringing of the
children. The family issue of poverty is due to the gambling problems, alcohol use and also due
to stress. The poverty affects the child’s personality development because of the family stress
process in which the poverty is considered as one of the factors. There are various factors like
family poverty that consist of unemployment (Hagenaars, 2014). The person with the insufficient
income gives enhancement to the difficulties in meeting the basic needs and also struggles to pay
for the food. When the family does not have the sufficient money then the direct impact is given
on the life of the children (Halpern & Murphy, 2013).
Medical Bills
The prices are so high for the medical treatment that gives direct impact on the society
and on the children. The people who are belonging to the low-income group face a huge
problem of income and it directly impacts the health of the individuals. People are not able to eat
healthy food just because of their low income. When people are not able to eat healthy food that
causes many diseases. In the U.S.A people are facing a financial burden due to the cost of
medical care. The medicines or the treatment of disease is so costly that it gives negative impact
on the income structure of the people. When the people pay high medical bills half of the income

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 6
is spent on purchasing the medicines, so it leads to poverty. Having children also made many
families vulnerable to the medical bills that are not within their reach (Thrasher,Zabel, Wynne &
Baltes, 2015).
There are many diseases that are costly to be operated in an effective manner. It is not
possible for low-income group people to invest in the high medicines. When the children are
affected by the diseases, then it can give negatively affect the income of the people. To cure the
diseases it is essential that proper treatment should be taken. So, in this case, there are many
families that face a severe issue to cure the diseases (Schickedanz, Dreyer & Halfon, 2015).
The poor people have many kinds of problems related to health like infant mortality,
mental illness and also they are unable to receive proper medical care. Also, the children who
belong from poor background have insufficient nutrition and also suffer from health and
behavioral problems (Townsend, 2014).
Loan payments
Loan payments are one of the causes of poverty. The person who belongs from the low-
income group takes loans on every item. When people receive their income, they have to give it
as a loan to other people. The income is spent on the loans and it is difficult for the parents to
invest in the education of the children. It also affects the development of the children. The
children face problem in every activity they are involved in. By paying the amount of all the
loans, the families are unable to fulfill the needs and wants of the children. The negative impact
is seen on the children and they suffer from childhood poverty. Sometimes the people who do
not come in the category of poor face the problem of poverty. By taking loans people fulfill their
demands and needs but at the time of repayment they don’t have the money. So, many people in
this case come in the category of poverty (Pitt-Catsouphes, Kossek & Sweet, 2015).
Religion
Religion has a surprisingly high relation to poverty. It is evaluated that the more poverty
a nation has, the higher religiosity in the nation. It is seen that the richer countries are less
religious than the poorer ones. Religions have a great impact on the societies who are poorer and
also the support is given by the majority of the people. Poverty gives direct impact on the
majority of people and also it affects the people in every corner of the world. Religion gives

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 7
direct impact on the human thoughts. There are many ministers, priest who earn solid middle and
upper middle-class incomes on the name of religion. They collect money from the public on the
basis of religion or by taking the name of God. Due to the high faith in God, a poor person also
gives money. It gives focus on the spiritual poverty instead of taking into consideration material
concerns (Suich, Howe & Mace, 2015).
Drugs
Drugs and the alcohol consumption have affected about 20 percent of the population who
are homeless. It has become one of the addictions that have ruined the lives of individuals. There
are many people who dump their money in their habit of addiction that they have spent a huge
amount on the consumption of drugs. It has given impact on the lives of the teenagers in those
families (Bristo, Raas & Nagy, 2013). Many youngsters are involved in consuming the high
amount of drug on a daily basis, they used them because their parents do. Also, the consumption
of the alcohol on a daily basis and cost of the alcohol has given a major impact on the poverty
areas. The people who are living in the slum areas enhance their satisfaction level by consuming
alcohol. It has spoiled the life of many youngsters (Wright, Kooreman, Greene,Chambers,
Banerjee & Wilson, 2014).
The money is spent on the alcohol and it has a negative impact on the economic
conditions. It consists of low wages and lost employment opportunities. By considering these
points it is evaluated that how drug and alcohol abuse can impact the families and their users in
poverty or in homeless conditions. The low-income people find satisfaction by using drugs. They
think that it reduces stress and pressure and enhance relief in their lives. In the large cities, there
are many low-income residents who are involved in the drug abuse. Drugs can easily be availed
from the streets and young people who are living in poverty are surrounded by the drug dealers.
The people who are addicted to drugs spent their income on consuming it (Luby, Belden,
Botteron, Marrus, Harms,Babb & Barch, 2013).
It is evaluated that people who are engaged in drug abuse can lose their jobs quickly and
also it is difficult for them to stay in one job for a long time. The weak economies have enhanced
the unemployment rate and also there are various companies that forced people to leave the jobs.
The people get slipped easily into poverty when they consume more drugs. The drugs they use
require a huge amount of money and people get so much addicted that they consume all the

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 8
money in purchasing the drugs. In the U.S.A it is seen that 48 million people are living in
poverty and 3.7 million people who are in poverty require the treatment for drug addiction
(Sripada, Swain, Evans,Welsh,& Liberzon,2014).
Poor Economy
Poor economy is one of the main aspects related to childhood poverty. In the U.S.A it is
seen that many companies decided to establish their factories overseas in order to save money by
giving employment to the workers who are willing to conduct activities at low wages. If the
companies do move overseas then it will give negative impact and can also shut the doors of the
business (Landes, 2015). The unemployed people face difficulty to find the jobs as the
competition level is high. Unemployment not only gives direct impact on the individual but also
affect their families. Mainly the children are affected by this factor. The change that takes place
due to unemployment results into a state of poverty and also some people are even homeless.
Types of Childhood Poverty
There are four types of poverty that are discussed below.
Absolute Poverty
In absolute poverty, it is related to the lack of the basic necessity that is essential for an
individual to survive. It is related with food, water, health and housing. In this type of poverty
people struggle to survive and experience a lot of child deaths from the diseases like Malaria and
Cholera. In the developed countries these types of diseases are not common. People are not able
to achieve the basic requirements and struggle a lot to satisfy the needs and wants. For example:
Shelter is considered as a basic necessity of an individual to survive. So, in the U.S.A there were
approximately 643,000 sheltered and unsheltered homeless people (Fritzell, Rehnberg, Hertzman
& Blomgren, 2015).
Relative poverty
The relative poverty is related to the other members and families in the society. For
instance, if the family does not afford vacations or purchase gifts for the children at Christmas or
on special occasions, then the family is considered poor. But the families that come into this
category have proper access to the assistance given by the government like food, water, and free
housing. The families who fall into this category are considered poor because there are many

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 9
other families who avail high superior services and facilities (Palomera, 2014). The basic
necessity can be satisfied by the people who belong in this category. They can easily satisfy the
needs and wants that are considered as an essential aspect to survive. In the U.S.A relative
poverty rate is higher if the comparison is made between the wealthy nations.
Situational Poverty
The families or the people who fall into this category of situational poverty can be poor just
because of some adversities like flood, and earthquakes. The people or the families assist
themselves to solve the situation quickly. If the assistance is given then it can be resolved
immediately. It is considered as an unfortunate event and occurs one time. The people can easily
fulfill their basic needs and wants to survive in a proper manner (Kreppner & Lerner, 2013).
Generational Poverty or Chronic Poverty
The generational poverty is considered as the complicated type of poverty. This takes
place when the poverty is given to individuals and families from the generations before them.
From this type of poverty, it is difficult to escape as the individual are trapped in the causes and
also they do not have any access to the tools that assist them to face it in an effective manner.
The families or the individuals who belong in this poverty can easily attain the basic
requirements and can survive for a long time (Chakravarty & Lugo, 2014).
Implications of childhood poverty for society
Poverty is considered as a serious social tension that threatens and divides a nation or the
society just due to the various issues. The issues are related to the inequality in the particular
income structure. This only takes place when the wealth in the country is not distributed in an
effective manner among the citizens. The children who are living in poverty stay in the
surroundings that have an adverse effect on the physical and mental health of the society
(Alvarez & Barney, 2014). There are many poor people who are forced to join terrorism so that
their families can live happily. Poverty gives enhancement to terrorism and also it creates
difficulty for the people who belong from the low-income group to stay in a proper manner. For
the society, poverty is considered as a dangerous factor that destabilizes an entire country. The
cycle of poverty creates a serious problem for the society as children are unable to satisfy their
needs and wants (Belfield, Cribb, Hood & Joyce, 2014). There are many effects of poverty on
the society and it is discussed below:

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 10
a.) Corruption: Poverty enhances corruption and also the individual tries to make money by
considering all the illegal means to be rich. There are many official jobs that enhanced
the corruption rate (Rose-Ackerman, 2013).
b.) Criminal activities: Poverty also affects the societies that are having high violence and
criminal activities. Due to poverty, theft, robbery and murders take place in the society.
c.) Lack of happiness: Wealth is the important aspect that is related to the happiness of the
society. The person who belongs to the low-income group or who suffers from poverty
will be less happy if the comparison is made with others.
d.) Lack of health facilities: Heath has a connection with the wealth. If a person takes a
healthy food, water and also stays in the neat place then they remain healthy. Poverty
gives negative impact on the health of the people and also they are unable to use the best
technology to cure the diseases (Evans & Cassells, 2014).
Remedies related to childhood poverty
Poverty cannot be removed completely as it is caused by the individuals. There are many
programs related to poverty that are designed to break the cycle of poverty in many communities
and household sectors in the world. The results attained are positive but there is still more to be
done. The effective remedies that can be used to reduce childhood poverty are:
a.) Education: Proper education should be given to the poor people so that they can be
employed and earn their living in a proper manner. Quality education enhances the
opportunities for the people in the surroundings. It assists children to get knowledge,
information and also the skills to enhance their need to realize their potential and
capability to conduct the activities. The essential poverty alleviation programs are related
to building schools, training teachers and also giving education material that enhances the
knowledge of the children (Spodek & Saracho, 2014).
b.) Health, food, and water: There are various programs that give focus on offering food to
kids at school and also offer health services. This encourages parents to send the children
to school. If the food is given to the children and they are healthy, then they can easily
learn and respond to the requirements of the programs (winters, McCulloch & McKay,
2015).

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 11
c.) Provision of Skills and training: By providing training the children can easily learn new
things and can enhance their knowledge. The enhancement of the skills is done so that the
economic activities can be conducted. It also assists the children to earn money so that
they can take care of their family and can make a living (Rakodi, 2014).
d.) Income redistribution: It is essential that the government should enhance the development
programs like roads, bridges and also economic facilities to rural areas so that the goods
and services can be easily available for the children. If the goods and services are
available by the children, then they can enhance the knowledge and can earn their living.
By working the poverty can be minimized (Hair, Hanson,Wolfe & Pollak, 2015).
Conclusion
By evaluating the report, it is concluded that poverty has a negative impact on the society
and also on the children. In the first part of the report, the causes that are related to poverty are
discussed. The causes that are elaborated are medical bills, family issues, religion, mortgage
payments and drugs. If poverty is not considered in a proper manner, then it can create a serious
problem in the children lives. It is essential that poverty should be minimized and also it takes
into consideration childhood poverty in the U.S.A.
In the next phase of the report the implications of childhood poverty for society are
considered. In that corruption, lack of happiness, criminal activities, and many other factors are
discussed. In the last phase of the report, the focus is given on the remedies that should be taken
into consideration so that the childhood poverty can be resolved in an effective way. It is
imperative to consider the essential points like education, training, health and water and
redistribution of the income. These are the important points that are considered as remedies to
the childhood poverty. It is essential that the childhood poverty can be reduced so that the next
generation can face fewer problems.

CHILDHOOD POVERTY AND SOCIETY IN U.S.A 12
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