Poverty in America

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Poverty in America
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Poverty

• Poverty is the condition of people who lack
  adequate income and wealth.
• Absolute vs. Relative Poverty
• Absolute poverty is the absence of enough money
  to secure lifes necessities enough food and a
  safe place to live.
• Relative poverty comparing the economic
  conditions of those at the bottom of society and
  the rest of society. According to this measure,
  the definition of poverty can vary. For example
  it would not be the same in India as the U.S.

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More than Numbers

• Health stress, frustration high blood
  pressure, ulcers, hostility, and crime.
• Poor are 3x as likely to die as children
• Black Latino children are 2x as likely to die
  before the age of one.
• Long term health of adults
• Homicide is the 1 cause of death among black
  males 15-24
• Education less informed, less likely to vote,
  14 dropouts poor
• Opportunities

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Who is Poor?

• Women
• 70 of Americans in poverty are women
• 55 of these women are Caucasian / 33 are
  African American
• Workers
• 50 of poor people work FULL time (consider
  elderly)
• 1 in 5 jobs earn 25 the poverty line
• Children in Poverty
• 20 of Americas children
• 46 of African American children
• 40 of Latino children
• 17 of Caucasian children
• Minorities http//www.youtube.com/watch?vy3IW3P
  hBgjs
• The Elderly
• 14 of people over 65 are in poverty (28 of A.A.
  / 21 of Latinos)
• The South

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Poverty is unevenly distributed in the U.S.

• Where people live, their race ethnicity, their
  sex, their age, and their marital status all
  effect their chances of being poor.
• The states with the highest level of poverty tend
  to be in the South and Southwest
• The poverty rate in rural areas of the U.S. is
  higher than the national average.
• Compared to urban Americans, the rural poor are
  less skilled and less educated. Jobs pay less
  than similar jobs in urban areas.
• Feminization of Poverty divorce, births to
  single women, and the lower wages paid to women.

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Figure 10.6 Poverty in the United States by Age
and Race-Ethnicity
Source Statistical Abstract 2002 Tables 668,
671, 673.

Note The poverty line on
which this figure is based is 18, 194 for a
family of four.
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Who is Not Poor?

• Among major industrialized nations, the U.S. is
  the leader in the gap between the wealthiest 20
  and the poorest 20.
• The top 5 owns 50 of nations wealth
• 1989 10 61 of nations wealth
• 1994 10 67 of nations wealth
• 1999 10 72 of nations wealth
• Black families make 45 of White Families income
  on average.

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Figure 10.2
Inequality of U.S. Income
Bill Gates is the wealthiest person in the world.
His fortune runs between 50 billion and 100
billion, depending on the value of stock. Home
in Seattle appraised at 110 million Gates has
given more to poor and minorities than any
individual in history http//www.census.gov/datav
iz/visualizations/019/ http//thesocietypages.org/
socimages/page/2/
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Why are people poor?

• Human Capital Theory- Lack of education, job
  training, job skills or language proficiency.
• Racism, Discrimination and Segregation
• Family Type absence of 2 parent families
• Culture- assumes there are cultures that value
  education, self improvement and motivation more
  than others.
• Lack of Employment Opportunities and Low Wages
• Lack of Political Power

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Figure 10.8 Who Ends Up Poor? Poverty by
Education and Race-Ethnicity
Source Statistical Abstract 2002 Table 675.
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Where Does the Public Stand on the Matter?

• The majority feel that something needs to be done
• The majority lacks faith in government to do it
• People tend to support work programs (as opposed
  to direct aid)
• The majority of Americans support raising the
  minimum wage.
• The majority support a tax hike on the wealthy

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Figure 10.7 Patterns of Poverty
Source Statistical Abstract 2002 Table 673.


Note Poverty varies
tremendously from one state to another. In the
extreme, poverty is almost three times as common
in New Mexico (19.3) than it is in Maryland
(7.3).
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WT Journal 4

• After reading Why Poverty Persists in Appalachia,
  discuss Cynthia Duncans belief on why poverty
  persists. What actions can be done to help the
  poor in the Appalachian Region? Explain and
  provide examples.