...The Social Context of Childhood Describe and analyse how social factors impact upon children and young people and consider how your setting and practice responds to it. The concept about the nature of childhood has changed in significant ways over time. According to James & Prout (1997) the beginning of the twentieth century has marked what they refer to as 'Century of Child'. This is the time when children were acknowledged as the future of every country. Serious attention was paid to things such as children’s health and education. Also many campaigns were formed to relieve child poverty, which led to the first major success of the Family Allowances Act (1946). This act offered a regular sum for second and subsequent children to be paid to the mother, raising the living standards of children and providing a better quality of life. However over the years particular attention has been paid to the environment that children live and the impact that it has upon their development and life chances. Bronfrebnner (1979) looks at the environment as a layered complex where each layer has an effect on child’s development and life chances. He believed that interaction between factors in the child’s maturing biology, his immediate family/community environment, and the social background fuels and directs his development. Bronfrebnner (1979) continues that modifications or conflict in any one layer of child’s environment will flow through other layers. Furthermore Paquette...
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...Is Childhood Poverty Increasing Inequality In America? Is childhood poverty increasing inequality in America? The test of our progress," said Franklin Roosevelt, "is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have too much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." It is by that great test that we must measure our progress in the years ahead. John F. Kennedy, 1960' (Lindsey, pg 34, 2009) Children born in America are promised equality and opportunity. How well is America keeping its promise to 1 in 4 children living in poverty? The Bible teaches we are created in God's image (Genesis 1:27). Each child is born with God's DNA but not all children grow up in a world conducive to developing their God-given potential and dreams. Not all children are given equal opportunity. "Their economic and social development will be primarily influenced by the opportunities their parents, community, and society provide" (Lindsey, 2009, p. 3). What defines childhood poverty? The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defines child poverty as "a child is deemed to be living in relative poverty if he or she is growing up in a household where disposable income, when adjusted for family size and composition, is less than 50% of the median disposable household income for the country concerned" (Garofalo, 2012, p. 1). The United States Census Bureau for 2011 qualified the poverty threshold for a family of four as $22,281 annual income...
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...Harsh Damages of Poverty and Possible Solutions As the increasing number of individuals affected by the consequences of poverty become more detrimental to society, the need for an assertive set of solutions becomes crucial. Poverty imposes major issues on all members of society, specifically children and families. Improving these scarce conditions can be considered both an opportunity and a responsibility placed on individuals within each community. While those who are fortunate may never fall victim to the issues caused by poverty, these individuals and their cooperative participation remain vital to a societal victory over poverty. Also, poverty, although it only affects some, is always considered a dangerous threat to humanity due to numerous aspects of life it can destroy or harm. In conclusion, it is necessary to create general solutions that will improve and benefit the lives of millions, while also tailoring these resolutions to target the particular concerns it poses to all groups separately. Poverty causes harsh damages to many groups and aspects of society; therefore it is vital for our nation to help the 44 million people who are unable to meet their basic needs. For example, the 1.4 billion people in our world who are currently living in extreme poverty live on less than $1.25 a day. This buys no more than basic food, clean water and enough cooking fuel to produce two simple meals (Moss). Having this issue during the recession causes a deep impact on both the consumers...
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...“What is child poverty, its key causes and impacts?” “Poverty is all about not being able to have the means to meet basic needs, such as food, clothing and shelter. Poverty in other words, is the lack of financial resources which means; poor people lack both income and wealth to have an adequate typical living standard in society. Poverty varies considerably depending on the situation as to why people are unable to work. There are various factors related with child poverty. Therefore, the causes can vary according to their factors. Some people have health problems such as, having a disability or have caring responsibilities. Some people also go through discrimination, which make them have difficulty in finding a job. Other difficulties uneducated people are more likely to go through is not being able to find a good job in society, whereas on the other hand, those highly qualified people with good qualifications are unable to get a job due to lack of job in the labour market or job that are too far from where they live; and those people find it too costly to travel. People with low paid incomes and those not able to work full time have poor living standards as they have to pay for childcare and have other personal circumstances. Having one person working in a household is also difficult and results in low pay, thus, resulting in a poor standard of living and people struggling to meet their needs on a day-to-day basis. Those people who are unable to work or earn low income rely...
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...people live their day to day life, there are some children living in poverty. Living in these types of living conditions can influence the mental health of a child. Children living in poor quality environments can be a lasting effect on their life. Adults are often affected by poor living conditions because of the financial strain on them; not being able to provide for their families. Children will be affected differently than adults; kids are easily influenced until they reach adulthood. Of course, children learn how to act and behave form where they grew up. Influences come from older kids and adults in the area. Crime and abuse in poorer environments can cause children to develop social inabilities will have an unclear views on their adult life. Depression is a typical result of growing up in a place full of negativity and where schools may not have the best surroundings for a better outlook on life. Poverty affects a child’s growth and educational outcomes in their early years. School is a child’s way to profit and gain knowledge to escape from poverty to maintain a better life. Poverty is a continual problem throughout the world and has extreme impact on just about all aspects of life and outcomes for children. Poverty limits the chances of educational achievement and this is one of the primary tools to escape poverty. The definition of poverty is the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount; being extremely poor. Many poverty researchers used a more massive...
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...We can change the fate of Poverty What are some of the reasons for poverty to occur? Some of the reasons why poverty occurs is because of the limited resources other countries or families own or have. Facts statistics Population The real cause and effects of poverty Poverty is not just a single issue for one to handle but a global issue for anyone to residua. Although we might see ourselves as a dominate kind of species we happen to usually mistake others that are among the same group and forget who we really look at. We all share common goals and hope for the best in life, but having many others out there the same sharing the same dream is just not fair. Equality has always been everyone main issue where it was fighting for a front seat or having the same chance of getting hired by the same employer. We all tend to forget of the smaller picture. We don’t much focus on the effects of what we all come up against. We all have goals in live and whether we can all achieve them is one small chance of competence with the next person. But to really understand we got to know the real backstory or background of the person who we judge or make a fit about our poor judgement. Overall what im trying to say is that even though you pay for auto, life, health or any other type of insurance’s we/ you are still considered to be categorized as a poor. Affects like these can also be an impact from credit or payments of loans and...
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...upward mobility economic wise and in social class (Korgan, 2012). These social problems of inequality have been linked to disparities in quality of life and psychological and social well-being. The problem of social inequality has been found to be linked with other social problems such as crime and victimization. The problem of social inequality can even be seen in the criminal justice system in how it treats people of various races, ethnic groups and socioeconomic classes who are processed through the system (Wheelock, 2006). In essence, there exists a disparity amongst race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class in criminal victimization and how people are processed through the criminal justice system that exacerbates the social problem of inequality in numerous social institutions and complicates many individual’s efforts to escape from poverty and achieve upward mobility (Wheelock, 2006). The disparity in criminal punishment is due to various factors such as laws that were implemented to reduce crime, race, and low economic status (Wheelock, 2006). The factors that have a tremendous impact on victimization are demography and socioeconomic status (Raphael, 2006). While violent crimes are not exclusive to poor metropolitan areas, consistent patterns have been observed which reveal lower rates of crime in neighborhoods with low poverty and higher rates of crime in poor metropolitan areas (Raphael, 2006). These poor metropolitan areas are usually segregated, have lower quality of education...
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...Throughout this paper, I will be giving insight on poverty stricken students who are struggling academically in the classroom. Many of these students are falling behind in their studies and should be provided with extra resources to help catch them up. There are several factors in poverty that can contribute to a student being unsuccessful. However, the school administration and the teachers should do everything in their power to help the students be academically successful and increase their chances of being successful in life. The students suffering from the negative effects of poverty are most likely lacking basic needs at home, and it is most definitely not the fault of the student. These needs should and need to be met at school in order...
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...to understand what is meant by the key words in it such as poverty and disaster. First of all, poverty is where people’s basic needs for food, clothing and shelter aren’t being met. There are usually two types of poverty. One of those is absolute poverty which is when people cannot obtain adequate resources to support a minimum level of physical health. This tends to be seen earning less than 2dollars a day by the World Health Organisation (WHO). There is also relative poverty and this occurs when people don't enjoy a certain minimum level of living standards and this is determined by the government (which is enjoyed by the majority of the population). This can vary between countries. Also, a disaster is something which causes very distressing or ruinous effects which disrupt functions of an organisation, society or system. What constitutes a disaster is the societies inability to cope rather than the event itself. There are a number of things besides poverty that can accentuate the effects of an earthquake such as the structure of the buildings, the population density, the education of the people but also more physical factors such as magnitude and the time of day when the earthquake hits. Poverty by itself can completely change the effects that the earthquake can have. If the money isn’t available to pay for preparation, monitoring, education about such problems and recovery, then does a country really have a chance against a natural event such as an earthquake? An example...
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...BOBIT/LMR/1575/16 LECTURER; DR. J. NDAVULA DATE; DECEMBER 1,2015 Abstract Reasons for early marriages The main reasons girls are forced to marry early are for the parents to acquire wealth and to be respected in the community (Ondiwo, 2002). Within the Maasai community the male spouses are likely to be a few years older than the girls; some may be more than twice their age, and most of them are wealthy. Parents who make such marital choices look upon marriage as an economic arrangement. Within the Kuria community the tradition is practiced because of interests in acquiring wealth. There are rampant cattle rustling incidences in the area because of poverty. Some parents find it safe to marry off their daughters to compensate for their stolen herd since early marriages are done in exchange for livestock The poverty stricken families also see early marriage as a way to take off their shoulders the responsibility of bringing up girls (Hinshelwood, 2001; Jens, 2003; UNICEF, 2000; UNICEF, 2002). In the event that the parents of the girl child have been given some money or material wealth and the girl has refused to join her husband to be, men from her husband’s side will abduct her. During abduction, the girl will be beaten to make her submissive. If she cries out aloud, her mouth will be closed forcefully. Some of the girls who have been abducted have ended up dying during the struggle (Ondiwo, 2002). Early marriage problem can be caused by disobeying our parents and not...
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...March 2006 Arising form Poverty Consider these facts: an estimated 400 million people lack the necessary calories, vitamins and proteins needed for a normal life (Singer 50). Millions are constantly hungry, and others suffer from disease and infections. In some areas many children are not even expected to live past the ages of 5 years of age (Singer 51). The examples listed above are all effects of the type of impact that poverty has on society. Poverty can be classified into two major categories; “absolute Poverty” which is derived from Robert McNamara, meaning poverty by any standards compared to Relative Poverty meaning some citizens live in poverty while others enjoy wealth (Singer 36). When dealing with poverty there are many factors hat should be considered outside of just becoming poor; however, for many the two go hand and hand. Poverty is increasing quicker than ever before, due to factors such as over populating and less jobs. Peter Singer writes “ This is the background situation, the situation that prevails on our planet all the time and it does not make the headlines (Singer 160).” Yes, the factors listed are tough to combat; therefore, the issue of poverty should be taken more seriously. The constant debate between the rich and the poor are leaving many nauseated on an ethical roller coaster. Much of the Nation and the World are succumbing to poverty like a deadly plague devouring everything in sight. Poverty is a very serious problem; therefore...
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...“El Otro Lado”; it is a place where all of your dreams can come true. It is where you can escape your current life. When people decide to emigrate, it is usually due to complications in their home countries. No one wants to leave the place they feel most comfortable unless there is a very good reason, otherwise, known as a push factor. Economic, political and environmental reasons, such as war and poverty are only a few of the many motives people have for emigrating. Crossing the border, whether alone or with family, takes a mental, emotional and physical toll on immigrants. They go through many dangers that could maim, scar, or potentially kill them. After their crossing is over, they still have a difficult path ahead of them. There is also...
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...Global poverty and inequality are problems that affect a large portion of the world’s population. In fact, over half of the world’s population has an income below America’s official poverty standard. To understand this massive gap, one must realize that global poverty is very different from U.S. domestic poverty. The United Nations set a goal to cut global poverty rates in half in 2015. In order for this to occur, nations must reduce extreme poverty through low-income nations having faster GDP growth. This gives greater priority to eliminating the structural, cultural, and legal “inequality traps” that both impede upward mobility for the poor and inhibit economic development. Due to the increasing views on global poverty, there has been a big push regarding ways to alleviate this problem. The main sources to alleviating global poverty are medical assistance, direct aid, education, family planning, and government reform. In society, there are many different effects when it comes to poverty and discrimination. To begin to understand how to alleviate the problem of global poverty, one must understand the effects of poverty and the impact of where one is brought up. Where you grow up and who you grow up around are two of the major elements of poverty and are known as neighborhood effects. The definition of neighborhood effect is the effect of the neighborhood you grew up in on your adult outcomes. One program that the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development came up with...
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...however when the topic of generational poverty and socioeconomic backgrounds are approached it seems to fall to choice more often than not. If we can agree that a child can be born into affluence, why then is it so difficult to believe a child can inherit poverty as well?(Beegle, D. 2007) Generational Poverty is a complex issue requiring a holistic approach. Upcoming generations must actively work against the cycle of poverty. There are so many stigmas attached to devastating issues that it is difficult to identify the causes. It would seem that the major focus is the effects of poverty, not the causes. This is the case with generational poverty which is saddening; if the why is not identified, how then can a course of action be set into motion? Too often it is said, “Poverty is a choice, it’s their fault” and this could not be further from the truth. One of the most difficult issues around generational poverty is the way it is viewed by society and the other is the way political parties pass the buck back and forth. These views keep the issue stuck in the problematic zone, where no one is accountable and nothing can be done. (Search for Clarity and Truth. Pitts, S., Conservative. Kalamaya, R., Liberal.). So once the buck stops, if it stops at all, only then can the causes can be addressed. Where exactly does poverty stem from and what are the barriers that prevent people from escaping this inheritance? In his article “Poverty, Family Stress and Parenting”, Dr. Zahid...
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...Over the past decades, there has been different explanation of social class. In which sociologist describes social classes as a form of social stratification. For the purpose of this assignment, I will be critically analysed the various perspectives of social class and its impacts on society. However, this essay will analyse three major perspectives of social class, which are Marxism, Functionalism and Weberian. The impacts of social stratification an individual’s life chances and finally explains and evaluate social classification and their usefulness to the society. Social Class refers to a group of people who share a similar economic status, such as an occupation. According to the Oxford dictionary, social class is a system whereby people are divided into groups based on perceived social, cultural and economic status. However, social stratification is an element of social class, which is usually defined by sociologist as an inequality of uneven distribution of power, prestige and wealth. The structure of stratification use culture, social mobility and life chances, to report the issues of social inequalities Haralambos and Holborn (2013). The Marxists perspective of social class pioneered by Karl Marx (1972), the Marxists perspective focuses on the social strata drawn from the relationship of social groups to the means of construction, rather than social inequality in general. Marx’s classical definition, opposing proletarians and bourgeois in the society on...
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