...Poverty and Family Tammara L. Mounce 2/29/2016 Purdue University North Central Dr. Muhammad Poverty and Family A large number of families and individuals in the United States live in a situation of poverty. Far too many youngsters are being raised as the children of the working poor. It is this particular area of poor that I am interested, as I can personally relate. I know many people in my situation, those that were not raised poor, but because of difficult circumstances, are now impoverished to different extents. Many of us are working professionals, but because the rate of pay in our area is so low, we cannot make ends meet. If child support laws were enforced, many of us would be in a far better situation. A Young Man I have the distinct pleasure to be a youth leader at my church. I work with the teenagers. I have been doing so for 20 years in some capacity. I am fortunate that these young people trust me and talk to me. One of the individuals that I interviewed was Eric. He is 17 and has lived in poverty twice. Once when he was 4, until he was 8. Also, he lives in poverty now, since he was 12. Tony’s mother is of the working poor. She has always worked to take care of him and his younger brother, Chris. The first time Eric was poor, was after his parents divorced. His father was drinking and using drugs to excess. He was dangerous, and his mother took he and his brother out of their family home to escape exposure to this sort of lifestyle. They moved into an...
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...juvenile delinquency as it relates to parental influence, family history and family poverty. Additionally this document will address different approaches on preventing juveniles from these issues, especially as it applies to the relationship between minors and their parents and or legal guardian. According to Doggett (2001), something is going on in today’s society as it appears if more and more children are committing delinquent crimes. Based upon my readings, juveniles are committing repetitive crimes because of their family structure. When the juvenile is released from jail and they return home, if their family structure is the same when they left then the same...
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...there should be no more time wasted. We need to address poverty within black families and also among the other minority families. The family structure in a minority family never seems to look like the family structure of a white American family. In many cases these households are ran by a woman and there is no father figure in sight. A mother can handle many things, but sometimes dealing with multiple children can be very demanding. This can cause the values of the family to diminish over time and not seem as important compared to other problems. According to Gates, “45 percent of black households with children are headed by women”. That is only in black households, imagine what the number if it would include Hispanics and refugees from other countries. It is not only the black community that poverty seems to be attacking; it is the minorities of the United States as a whole. The living cost is going up everywhere without the minimum wage going up with it. 20 years ago, a family could be supported by one person working full time and another taking care of the household. Today, both parents have to work full time to be able to afford what they need to survive. This can be an issue when most households are ran by women....
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...“Consequences of Poverty in Lower Socioeconomic Families” Chris Caronna Sociology 351 Short Paper November 18, 2012 Socioeconomic status is a classification of one’s position in a modern system of inequality based on levels of education, occupational prestige, and income (Eshleman and Bulcroft, 149). It plays a large part in the dynamics of family life. In fact, it determines a family’s lifestyle and has many consequences related to what level one resides in. For instance, socioeconomic status affects one’s chance to live, socialization, availability of education, marriage, sexual behavior, type of food eaten (Eshleman and Bulcroft, 150). A family’s socioeconomic status also determines the level of poverty one resides. This short paper concentrates on the consequences of poverty among lower socioeconomic families. According to a study published by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2009, 12.3 percent of all persons living in the United States in 2006 lived below the poverty line compared to about ten percent when measuring families (Eshleman and Bulcroft, 165). Individual poverty rates are higher than family rates because of the number of children who are in families. The challenges of poverty family’s face are difficult to navigate. Whether its inadequate resources, living in dangerous neighborhoods, or unsecure working environments and wages. Poor families do not have the ability to escape these conditions and must adjust to them. Stress and reduced psychological well-being...
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...of all children) under age eighteen lived in families with incomes below the official poverty threshold. Although children age eighteen and under represent 26 percent of the United States population, they comprise nearly 40 percent of the poverty population. Despite a steady decrease from 1993 (23%) to 1999 (17%) in the rate of children in poverty, the United States still ranks highest in childhood poverty among all industrialized nations. In the United States, income poverty is defined by the poverty threshold, developed in 1959 and based on expected food expenditures (thrifty food basket) for families of varying sizes. Each year the threshold is adjusted for the Consumer Price Index cost of living. In 1999, the poverty threshold for a single mother raising two children was $13,423. Researchers have criticized the poverty threshold on numerous counts. First, government transfers such as food stamps and housing subsidies as well as tax benefits (e.g., the Earned Income Tax Credit) and tax payments are not included when assessing the poverty threshold. Second, regional and urban differences in the cost of living are not considered when computing the poverty threshold. Despite the criticisms levied against the way poverty is assessed in the United States, the current review highlights research that has used this definition of poverty, while acknowledging its weaknesses. This article reviews the literature linking family poverty to children's cognitive and educational outcomes...
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...Ms. Knights 1/16/2015 Extra Credit Find the Poverty Line for Different Sized Families Below is a snapshot of the 2013 Poverty line by family size provided by the United States Census Bureau as well as the way in which the poverty line is measured. [pic] How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty Following the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive 14, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps). Income Used to Compute Poverty Status (Money Income) • Includes earnings, unemployment compensation, workers' compensation, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, public assistance, veterans' payments, survivor benefits, pension or retirement income, interest, dividends, rents, royalties, income from estates, trusts, educational assistance, alimony, child support, assistance from outside the household, and other miscellaneous sources. • Noncash benefits (such as food stamps and housing subsidies) do not count. •...
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...Running head: POVERTY AND IT’S EVERYDAY LIFE CHANGES 1 Poverty and its Everyday Life Changes Professor Deanna R. Lindsey Sociology 100, Strayer University November 4, 2011 POVERTY AND IT’S EVERYDAY LIFE CHANGES 2 Abstract This report tells of the ratings of poverty in the United States and America. It tells how poverty is constantly changing the lives of men, women, and children on an everyday basis. It speaks of things we can do as a society to help support and change the lives of those living in poverty. Poverty And It’s Everyday Life Changes 3 Poverty is a very emotional and important issue in America. It is a fact that all social inequality creates poverty. There are generally two types of poverty that are discussed, which are relative poverty and absolute poverty .Relative poverty is the lack of resources of some people in relation to those who have more. Absolute poverty is the lack of resources that is life threatening. It has been reported by “Global Stratification “, that about one billion human beings, which is one person in six are at risk of absolute poverty (Sociology, Thirteenth Edition). In this wealthy country of the Unite States families still go hungry, and live in in adequate housing, and suffer poor health because of serious lack of resources. In 2002, it was reported by the Census Bureau that poverty in the United States was had reached a high of 35 million people (Rector and Johnson, 2004). It is fact that we as human...
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...Generational Poverty Belinda UOP Diversity and Special Populations 345 Roberto Vara October 21, 2014 Generational Poverty Generational Poverty Generational Poverty is defined as a family having been in poverty for at least two generations meaning children of parents in poverty grow up to live in poverty themselves. It is important to understand the difference between Generational Poverty and Situational Poverty. A person or family can experience Situational Poverty when their income and support is has a set back due to a specific change in areas such as job loss, death, divorce or health issues. Although there can be a domino effect caused by this one particular change, families experiencing Situational Poverty have a tendency to remain positive and hopeful, knowing that this is a temporary setback. This typically is not so with generational poverty. (Susan E. Mayer 2008). Consequences of Generational Poverty It’s a sad thought that crime is one the most negative consequences of poverty. This occurs because a “culture of poverty” cultivates among families who struggle just to meet their basic needs. People develop beliefs that their chances are limited for future success. And one of the most discouraging things people turn to is crime as an alternate to getting employment. Another consequence of poverty is the lack of education. Actually there is a huge relation between the two. Illiteracy is a major problem among families who are part of the cycle of generational...
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...POVERTY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS AND WHITES IN LATIN 2 AMERICA AND THE UNITED STATES Abstract This article reports the relationship between the United States immigrant and African- American families presented by Daniel Patrick Moynihan in his 1965 report to President Lyndon Johnson remains the most popular folk model for explaining success, failure and mutual aid in “poverty.” The Moynihan model is an enduring part of popular discourses on race, intensified by contemporary immigrant successes narratives. The participant observation research among homeless African-American families and Latin American families had participated in a small business creation in New York City which happened more than three years ago. When kinship norms are typically American, it is said that certain immigrant family forms are more suited to mutual aid crisis. The African- American family is misused as being dysfunctional. It gives an overview of the demographic of “poverty” and how these demographics have changed since 1979. It also considers trends that have emerged over the last few decades and reconsiders the successes and failures of past public policy. It also identifies the growing feminization of poverty and the growing Latino population as the primary challenges currently facing public makers...
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...Reasons Single Mothers Live in Poverty Tonya Norwood COM/150 February 16, 2014 Shyree Latham Reasons Single Mothers Live in Poverty According to Jennifer Wolf (2014), custodial single mothers are twice as likely to live in poverty as the general population. In 2009, 14 percent of the United States general population lived in poverty. 30 percent of custodial single mothers and their children lived in poverty. Moreover, thirteen million kids live in poverty in the U.S. The children living in poverty are affected in many different ways psychologically, socially, and physically. The federal poverty guideline for a family of four is $23,050.00 and that guideline compares to a median U.S. household income of $50,054.00 (Breslow, 2012). Many of these single mothers living in low income have low education. Nationally, over 80 percent of families headed by a parent without a high school diploma lives in poverty, compared to 54 percent of families headed by a parent a high school diploma, and only 22 percent of families headed by a parent with at least some college education. Single mothers live in poverty because they lack higher education and are products of poverty themselves. Lack of Education Thirty years ago less than twenty percent of birth occurred to single women. Today that number has doubled. At one time race was a huge factor, however. Today, education is a key factor. In 1990, ten percent of birth occurred to white single mothers with...
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...Homelessness and poverty are ongoing issues that have existed for many years. Poverty has always been with us. But in the United States, poverty emerged as a political issues about 50 years ago (Dinitto, 2011). Along with poverty come many issues such as homelessness and going without food and clothing. These are basic necessities that everyone needs to survive. Also with poverty comes poor education. Usually the poorer the education the more likely an individual is to fall into poverty. One of the main issues with poverty is defining it. How do we know who are faced with poverty and homelessness, if poverty is not able to be defined? History of Poverty Many think that poverty will diminish over time (Dinittto, 2011). However, if there is a continued decline of education for women it is safe to believe that poverty and homelessness will continue to be a social policy issue. Poverty affects men women and children. Unfortunately, children are affected the most because they are the most vulnerable. Families are left without homes, jobs or the means to support their families. These same children are left without food or adequate clothing. And this has been the issue for years and years. Poverty as a political issue only came to light in the last 50 years (Dinitto, 2011). More Education Educating more women seems like a reliable alternative to homelessness and poverty. Is it reasonable to say the more education a women has the less likely she is to live in poverty? Education may...
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...Poverty Line In today’s society, most people understand that poverty exists. It is a major issue in the United States. How does one determine how who really lives in poverty? Some people consider poverty living from pay check to pay check while some only consider the most extreme cases poverty, for example the homeless living on the streets. However, there is a way that poverty is measured in the United States. This measurement tool is called the poverty line also known as the poverty threshold. According to, “The U.S. Poverty Line: A Time For Change” written by Donald E. Chamber “poverty threshold is a measure of the amount of money society believes is necessary for a person to live at minimum level of subsistence or at a level consistent...
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...Poverty There are many different reasons why poverty occurs and as such there are many different avenues to pursue in the eradication of poverty. Poverty is a growing problem throughout the United States and within our own communities. With businesses such as textiles closing down and the relocating of jobs into other countries, more Americans are out of work. (McKernan and Ratcliffe, 2002). With all these people out of work, it is only logical that poverty is on the rise. We have to find the reason this happens and work on a solution for the growing problem. What does it mean to be poor in America? There is no single description of American poverty. But for many, perhaps most, it means homes with inadequate heating, unstable plumbing, and uncertain electricity. Poverty is a condition in which a person or family does not have the means to satisfy basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Poverty often means a home where some go to bed hungry and malnutrition is very frequent. For almost all poverty stricken families it means that life is a constant struggle to obtain the merest necessities of existence, the things most of us take for granted. One’s race does not matter every race has people who are in poverty. Poverty is not something that affects only those people who are out of work, there are many people who are working and are still faced with poverty. Poverty does not seem logical and it, does happen more often than we may realize...
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...| Economics vs. Poverty | | | Cindy Moore | 12/2/2012 | | Poverty has several definitions however it basically means “a state of privation or lack of the usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.” There is no universally accepted definition of “socially acceptable money or material possessions” that exists because poverty is a relative concept. In other poorer countries it is said to mean living at the brink of subsistence, while in America many suffer from undernourishment, not many confront starvation. A key concern in the area of poverty is the reality of inequality. Inequality has been and continues to be a problem in all societies. There is no society that distributes income evenly. In spite of all the theoretical and technical problems of measurement, the government has developed a widely cited poverty index that reflects the diverse intake requirements of families depending on their size, sex, age and family location, while also surveying the gender of the head of household. Based on previous surveys, the creators of the poverty index determined that families of three or more persons would spend approximately one-third of their income on food. Based on the poverty index the poverty level for these families would be set at three times the cost of the economy food plan. For smaller families and people who lived alone, the cost of economy food plan were multiplied at higher factors taking in consideration larger fixed...
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...What is poverty? A question most Americans will not have to think twice before answering. Poverty is, of course, simply a lack of money. The views of a specific person will differ when politics or morals are introduced, however, the idea stays the same. Those in poverty are there because they have less money than what has been decided to be livable. Poverty has changed significantly over the last two hundred years in the United States, and yet, the measurement has hardly changed since it was created fifty years ago. As the United States of America has become a better-established country and therefore a more prosperous country, the type of people that are considered poor has changed quite a bit. Before industrialization and immigration became...
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