Sociology Assignment: Causes and Solutions for American Poverty

This sociology assignment examines the multifaceted issue of poverty in America. It begins by presenting statistical data, such as poverty line income levels and the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line, highlighting the increasing trend of poverty in recent years. The assignment then explores the demographics most affected by poverty, including women and Hispanics, and discusses the unique challenges they face. The analysis extends to identifying the economic, social, and political factors contributing to poverty, such as low wages, unemployment, education levels, and government policies. Finally, the assignment proposes several strategies to combat poverty, including increasing employment rates, raising minimum wages, addressing segregation, and reforming tax policies to assist low-income individuals. The assignment draws upon various sources to support its arguments and provides a comprehensive overview of the issue.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Answer 1
The annual income of an individual living below the poverty line is estimated to be
$11490 in the last year. This is considered to be $23,550 for an individual of four members.
This indicates that poverty statistics are expected to be rising and this increasing rate has been
found in the last three years consecutively. The government policymakers, as well as society,
is trying its best to deliver more effective solutions and thus to handle the society accordingly
(Gongloff, 2014).
It has been found that 15% of Americans still live below the poverty line. Most of the
individuals are expected to have income below the poverty line as it becomes difficult to
fulfill the monthly basic needs of the individuals. This sign is considered to be growing and
thus there are concerns related to the poorer sections (Gongloff, 2014).
Further, it has been found that 20.5 million people i.e. 6.7% of the people live below
the poverty line. The income of these individual classes is considered to be very low and thus
it is difficult for the Americans to survive with such an income. Moreover, out of this 20.5
million population, 6 million people have no income other than the food stamps. The public
policies associated with these are considered to be successful and thus it will assist to develop
with greater progress (Edelman, 2012).
The women counterparts are likely to suffer from poverty in America at the most.
There are different types of unique challenges faced by the women and they are found to be
at a much greater risk of financial hardship and poverty. Women are also paid much less than
men and there are different types of gap in the occupation level that is most likely to affect
the women counterparts. The differences between job qualifications pay rates and the job
duties between the men and the women counterparts are also considered to be much higher.
Single mothers are also likely to suffer from poverty to a large extent. Moreover, it has also

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been found that women are most likely to work in low paying occupations and thus spend the
majority of their time in caregiving of their children or the elderly family members. On the
other hand, the Hispanic's poverty rate in America is considered to be 23.5%. The lower
earnings level and well as the relatively low level of education are the most vital factors for
poverty of the Hispanics (The Poor In America: In Need Of Help, 2012).
Answer 2
It has been found that the face of poverty in America is an alarming social problem
and there are many such industries in America that have never started again due to poverty.
The low wage income earners are trying to encompass the people below the poverty line and
thus they are facing difficulty to make both ends meet. It has also been found that the child
poverty rate is higher in the USA rather than in Japan, Canada, and other European countries.
The degree and the earnings of the people in such countries are also less probable and thus
poverty can be regarded as a chronic condition in USA. Another important problem that is
worst during the crisis period is the suburban poverty rate (Gongloff, 2014). This is
considered to be growing at an alarming rate and thus it has damaged the conditions of the
sub-urban marginal economies on a large scale. The financial crisis of USA is considered to
be worse and thus it is likely to affect the people of the sub-urban region on a large scale. In
USA, it has been found that poverty is likely to surge after the recessionary phase and most
people lose their incomes and jobs. Poverty can also retreat fairly and thus the economy
might face difficulty to recover itself from such a phase (Edelman, 2012). Therefore, it can be
said that through the combination of different factors, poverty can be regarded as a vital
social problem.
The social factors that are likely to affect the people of the USA suffering from
poverty are education, household composition, employment, social mobility, income
inequality, transportation and different types of stressful conditions. On the other hand, the

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economic factors are the rising level of unemployment, immigration, insurance programs, and
the income tax credit system. Further, the political factors that contribute to the rising level of
poverty in USA are the poor governance system, political instability as well as the increase in
the corruption level.
Answer 3
The different ways to eradicate poverty in the USA are:
Increase in employment rate: The government must try its best in improving the level of
infrastructure and thus handling the investment level in a better way. There should be local
ordinance hiring for large employers and this is likely to affect the lower-income community
people to a large extent (Edelman, 2012).
Raise the pay structure in the USA: The Federal government in the USA must try to
increase the wage level and this is possible through strengthening the collective bargaining
and the rights of the union to a large extent. The states and the cities must try to take the lead
and this will assist in raising the minimum wage level to a large extent.
Tackle the segregation and the concentrated rate of poverty: The structural racism in the
USA has placed a greater burden on the Latino and the Hispanics. There should be provision
of proper housing voucher and this will assist in re-zoning the scattered areas on a large scale.
The social capital can also be managed accordingly and thus it will be easier to tackle the
resources in a better way (Economist.Com 2012).
End the poverty tax rate: The people of low-income neighborhoods do not want to pay
extra for anything and thus they are dependent on higher interest. Further, these poor
individuals do not have the affordability to purchase costly items from the shopping malls
and thus they need proper access to capital, proper job training as well as investment in the
education sector (Edelman, 2012).

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References
Edelman, Peter, “The State of Poverty in America”. The American prospect Ideas Politics
and Power, 2012 https://prospect.org/economy/state-poverty-america/
Gongloff, Mark, “45 Million Americans Still Stuck Below Poverty Line: Census”. Huff Post,
2014 https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2014/09/16/poverty-household-
income_n_5828974.html?ri18n=true
The Poor In America: In Need Of Help. Economist.Com, 2012,
https://www.economist.com/briefing/2012/11/10/in-need-of-help. Accessed 22 Oct 2019.