If you made less than 12,000 dollars this year, than you would be considered an individual in poverty; that is to say, you would be considered extremely poor (US Census Bureau). Poverty is caused in many ways. From weak educational backgrounds to drug addictions, poverty has affected many lives for the worse. Impoverished individuals experience a lower standard of living than those above the poverty line, which causes significant negative effects to their emotional stability, physical health, and their ability to function in society. In order for the problem of poverty to be properly addressed, people first need to become aware of the magnitude of the issue, and then give support to groups and programs which are already fighting it.
Poverty spreads far and wide, and it touches every life in some way or another. According to the World Bank, nearly 15 percent of the global population lives below the international poverty line (The World Bank). That means that just under 500 million people are in poverty, which is more than the populations of America and the UK combined (CIA). When you add that to the people who have seen or been affected by someone in poverty, the number spikes to a vast majority. Poverty has touched almost everyone, but how it affects those individuals is what makes it so dangerous.
The effects of poverty are often measured objectively, just as you might measure the Gross Domestic Product. However, the most direct and dangerous effects are much more vague and undefinable. One primary effect is the emotional damage and instability which comes with low-income living. This includes problems such as depression, conflict with peers, lower self confidence, and numerous conflict disorders (Gibbs qtd. in Huston 107). These emotional problems occur the most in children, and in addition to the aforementioned disorders, a child’s future is also significantly impacted by emotional instability. In fact, high school students living in poverty are twice as likely to dropout than their counterparts, and the same applies to teenage pregnancies (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan 58). This is just one of many examples of how poverty harms a child’s future because of the emotional damage it does.
However, emotional instability doesn’t stop at the unstable individual. It carries its effects into the public sphere, and negatively impacts society as a whole. Messner and Blau conducted studies in 1984 which traced homicide directly to economic inequality. When speaking of economic inequality, Blau said, “inequality provides the most fertile soil for criminal violence” (qtd. in Williams 285). More recent research has shown that the same emotional disorders which cause high school dropouts and teenage pregnancies also increase the likelihood of committing a violent crime (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan 59).
Moving past the mental and emotional health problems caused by poverty, the more obvious effects of poverty come into view. Physical health and well-being is at the forefront of these more conspicuous effects. According to Professor I Kawachi, people who are lower on the socioeconomic gradient (i.e. in poverty) are more likely to experience health care problems and unequal treatment (648). This primarily comes from the impoverished person’s lack of money. If you have less money, you will receive less services. Those in poverty can hardly feed themselves, so they cannot afford to pay more for the medical service they need. This is evident when one looks at a homeless shelter; the poor people can’t afford to get cough syrup, let alone more serious medical aid. The problem of physical well-being is a large one under the poverty line, but just like emotional instability, this problem has consequences which aren’t always considered.
As mentioned before, people often look at poverty objectively, and they fail to consider what actually happens to those in poverty. The aspect of poverty we will now investigate is its circular progression, commonly referred to as the poverty cycle. Take physical well-being for example. If someone is struggling to put food on the table, and then they find out that they have to pay medical expenses, neither the food nor the medicine will get the attention it needs. Medical help is inadequate, and they becomes more sick. As they get more sick, their capability to work decreases, and with it their income. As their income decreases, they fall deeper into poverty, and the cycle repeats. However, physical well-being is only a small way in which the cycle affects the impoverished.
Dennis Kelsch, Catholic Community Services Director of Homeless Services, believes that the most damaging factor of the poverty cycle is stigma. One might find it odd; these people are faced with serious emotional and physical health problems constantly, so disapproval can’t be that large a problem. However, according to the British Social Attitudes Survey, 36 percent of people don’t think that the poor and homeless deserve help, while another 25 percent think that poor people are just lazy (qtd. in Bell 12). That means that more than half the polled population were unwilling to help those in poverty due to stigma. This causes a much greater threat to those in poverty than anything which they could do to themselves. A person in poverty due to low-quality job-training might be denied employment because of the stigma of poverty, thus keeping the individual from breaking the poverty cycle.
Between the emotional damage, physical health issues, and stigma which come from being poor, it can almost seem hopeless. However, there are several practical things which we all can do to break the cycle and empower the impoverished. Firstly, donate time and money charitably to causes which fight poverty. Organizations to fight poverty abound; however, they don’t always have resources to so effectively. You can provide them the help they need, and in return, you will be able to fight poverty more effectively than you ever could on your own. Secondly, push for political reform and added government funding to charitable non-profits. By adding additional funding, far more assistance is provided than any number of volunteer donations ever could. Lastly, stop the stigma. Give people a chance to get themselves on their feet. Many organizations provide sustenance for people seeking jobs, but jobs are what really gets them out of the cycle. So long as stigma exists, those jobs simply won’t appear. By doing these three simple things, we can smoothly and effectively provide a route to escape the cycle of poverty.
Poverty is a plague to our world today. From the biggest American city to the smallest African village, poverty consumes the lives and hopes of millions. Many of these souls are striving to escape the chains that bind them, but the cycle continues to drag them down. Children are being raised with serious emotional problems which threaten their lives and society as a whole, people are unable to pay for the medical assistance which they desperately need, and the impoverished are kept in their poverty by the crushing weight of stigma. However, these people do have a way to escape, and the key lies with us. If we will volunteer our time to serving these people, push for government assistance, and accept those poor people as human beings, we can unlock the door which leads them to their futures. This door is out of reach to them, and we are the ones who must open it. Which route will we take?
Bell, Kate. "Poverty, Social Security, and Stigma." Poverty 144.Spring 2013 (2013): 11-13. Child Poverty Action Group. Web. 19 May 2015.
Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, and Greg J. Duncan. "The Effects of Poverty on Children." The Future of Children 7.2 (1997): 55-71. Web. 20 May 2015.
Huston, Aletha C. "The Strain of Living Poor: Parenting, Social Support, and Child Mental Health." Children in Poverty: Child Development and Public Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991. Print.
Kawachi, I. "A Glossary for Health Inequalities." Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 56.9 (2002): 647-52. Web. 20 May 2015.
"The World Factbook: Population." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 20 May 2015.
"United States Census Bureau." Poverty Data. U.S Census Bureau. Web. 20 May 2015.
Williams, Kirk R. "Economic Sources of Homicide: Reestimating the Effects of Poverty and Inequality." American Sociological Review 49.2 (1984): 283-89. Web. 20 May 2015.
"World Development Indicators: Poverty Rates at International Poverty Lines." The World Bank. Web. 20 May 2015.
Poverty spreads far and wide, and it touches every life in some way or another. According to the World Bank, nearly 15 percent of the global population lives below the international poverty line (The World Bank). That means that just under 500 million people are in poverty, which is more than the populations of America and the UK combined (CIA). When you add that to the people who have seen or been affected by someone in poverty, the number spikes to a vast majority. Poverty has touched almost everyone, but how it affects those individuals is what makes it so dangerous.
The effects of poverty are often measured objectively, just as you might measure the Gross Domestic Product. However, the most direct and dangerous effects are much more vague and undefinable. One primary effect is the emotional damage and instability which comes with low-income living. This includes problems such as depression, conflict with peers, lower self confidence, and numerous conflict disorders (Gibbs qtd. in Huston 107). These emotional problems occur the most in children, and in addition to the aforementioned disorders, a child’s future is also significantly impacted by emotional instability. In fact, high school students living in poverty are twice as likely to dropout than their counterparts, and the same applies to teenage pregnancies (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan 58). This is just one of many examples of how poverty harms a child’s future because of the emotional damage it does.
However, emotional instability doesn’t stop at the unstable individual. It carries its effects into the public sphere, and negatively impacts society as a whole. Messner and Blau conducted studies in 1984 which traced homicide directly to economic inequality. When speaking of economic inequality, Blau said, “inequality provides the most fertile soil for criminal violence” (qtd. in Williams 285). More recent research has shown that the same emotional disorders which cause high school dropouts and teenage pregnancies also increase the likelihood of committing a violent crime (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan 59).
Moving past the mental and emotional health problems caused by poverty, the more obvious effects of poverty come into view. Physical health and well-being is at the forefront of these more conspicuous effects. According to Professor I Kawachi, people who are lower on the socioeconomic gradient (i.e. in poverty) are more likely to experience health care problems and unequal treatment (648). This primarily comes from the impoverished person’s lack of money. If you have less money, you will receive less services. Those in poverty can hardly feed themselves, so they cannot afford to pay more for the medical service they need. This is evident when one looks at a homeless shelter; the poor people can’t afford to get cough syrup, let alone more serious medical aid. The problem of physical well-being is a large one under the poverty line, but just like emotional instability, this problem has consequences which aren’t always considered. As mentioned before, people often look at poverty objectively, and they fail to consider what actually happens to those in poverty. The aspect of poverty we will now investigate is its circular progression, commonly referred to as the poverty cycle. Take physical well-being for example. If someone is struggling to put food on the table, and then they find out that they have to pay medical expenses, neither the food nor the medicine will get the attention it needs. Medical help is inadequate, and they becomes more sick. As they get more sick, their capability to work decreases, and with it their income. As their income decreases, they fall deeper into poverty, and the cycle repeats. However, physical well-being is only a small way in which the cycle affects the impoverished.
Dennis Kelsch, Catholic Community Services Director of Homeless Services, believes that the most damaging factor of the poverty cycle is stigma. One might find it odd; these people are faced with serious emotional and physical health problems constantly, so disapproval can’t be that large a problem. However, according to the British Social Attitudes Survey, 36 percent of people don’t think that the poor and homeless deserve help, while another 25 percent think that poor people are just lazy (qtd. in Bell 12). That means that more than half the polled population were unwilling to help those in poverty due to stigma. This causes a much greater threat to those in poverty than anything which they could do to themselves. A person in poverty due to low-quality job-training might be denied employment because of the stigma of poverty, thus keeping the individual from breaking the poverty cycle.
Between the emotional damage, physical health issues, and stigma which come from being poor, it can almost seem hopeless. However, there are several practical things which we all can do to break the cycle and empower the impoverished. Firstly, donate time and money charitably to causes which fight poverty. Organizations to fight poverty abound; however, they don’t always have resources to so effectively. You can provide them the help they need, and in return, you will be able to fight poverty more effectively than you ever could on your own. Secondly, push for political reform and added government funding to charitable non-profits. By adding additional funding, far more assistance is provided than any number of volunteer donations ever could. Lastly, stop the stigma. Give people a chance to get themselves on their feet. Many organizations provide sustenance for people seeking jobs, but jobs are what really gets them out of the cycle. So long as stigma exists, those jobs simply won’t appear. By doing these three simple things, we can smoothly and effectively provide a route to escape the cycle of poverty.
Poverty is a plague to our world today. From the biggest American city to the smallest African village, poverty consumes the lives and hopes of millions. Many of these souls are striving to escape the chains that bind them, but the cycle continues to drag them down. Children are being raised with serious emotional problems which threaten their lives and society as a whole, people are unable to pay for the medical assistance which they desperately need, and the impoverished are kept in their poverty by the crushing weight of stigma. However, these people do have a way to escape, and the key lies with us. If we will volunteer our time to serving these people, push for government assistance, and accept those poor people as human beings, we can unlock the door which leads them to their futures. This door is out of reach to them, and we are the ones who must open it. Which route will we take?
Works Cited:
Bell, Kate. "Poverty, Social Security, and Stigma." Poverty 144.Spring 2013 (2013): 11-13. Child Poverty Action Group. Web. 19 May 2015.
Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, and Greg J. Duncan. "The Effects of Poverty on Children." The Future of Children 7.2 (1997): 55-71. Web. 20 May 2015.
Huston, Aletha C. "The Strain of Living Poor: Parenting, Social Support, and Child Mental Health." Children in Poverty: Child Development and Public Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991. Print.
Kawachi, I. "A Glossary for Health Inequalities." Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 56.9 (2002): 647-52. Web. 20 May 2015.
"The World Factbook: Population." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 20 May 2015.
"United States Census Bureau." Poverty Data. U.S Census Bureau. Web. 20 May 2015.
Williams, Kirk R. "Economic Sources of Homicide: Reestimating the Effects of Poverty and Inequality." American Sociological Review 49.2 (1984): 283-89. Web. 20 May 2015.
"World Development Indicators: Poverty Rates at International Poverty Lines." The World Bank. Web. 20 May 2015.
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