...RUNNING HEAD: Children & Poverty in the United States Children & Poverty in the United States Kylon D. Shipp SOC120 University of Phoenix In the United States, there are millions of families with children who live at or below the poverty guidelines set by the federal government. The federal poverty income level is around $22,050 a year for a family of four, and it takes about twice that amount to cover the basic needs and expenses of a family of this size (National Center for Children in Poverty, August, 2010). Although most parents are employed, the low pay wages these days tend to leave these families in a constant struggle to provide for their children. Most states have programs that help families that have a lower income take care of their children’s basic needs such as food, shelter, and medical expenses. However, children who grow up in poverty may still be affected by poor health and mental health issues. Poverty has also been known to affect a child’s ability to learn and leaves them at a greater risk for emotional, social, or behavioral problems. Research shows that poverty is the highest threat to a child’s well-being (National Center for Children in Poverty, August, 2010). Since 1964 when the war on domestic poverty was declared, the United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars helping large and small towns across the country. They have repaired old homes, helped people find jobs, and also provided free food for those who are living in...
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...Poverty and Children in the United States Kenneth Pike SOC/120 March 28, 2011 Onesphor Kyara Poverty and Children in the United States The children of the United States should not have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from or worried if they will have a nice warm bed to sleep in for the night. There are so many children that are born into the United States that do not ask to have to live in poverty each and every day. There are many of us that have been at a stop light and seen the people that are wearing the dirty torn clothes asking for help because they are hungry and have no money. Most of these people are homeless or live in poverty. There are many factors to why we as a nation have so many children that are living in poverty and it needs to change, as these children are our future and will carry on the legacy of the United States. The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but it is considered the second behind Mexico in the amount of children that live in poverty. This is very alarming to read or hear that our children of the next generation are living in today’s society homeless and starving, because there family is taking money away from one bill to pay the other bill. In 2009 the number of people that are living in poverty was the largest in 51 years. The poverty rate and the number in poverty increased across all types of families: married-couple families (5.8 percent and 3.4 million in...
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...Under what economic conditions are children living across the United States? Child poverty and its misfortunes By: Racheal H. Caldwell A Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements of CST5006 – Survey of Research Methodology Racheal H. Caldwell May 2013 Address: 22-04 Collier Ave Apt 5H Far Rockaway NY 11691 Phone: 347-985-6673 Email: racheal_caldwell@yahoo.com Instructor: Kathy Blaydes Abstract The United States economy is going through a phenomenon described as “globalization” of an economy or global competition. A very large part of global competition involves the development of a strong labor force, and this development starts with the nurturing of children (Ozawa, Soo, & Kim 2004). A great challenge lives in the United States and by international standards; the United States has the highest proportion of children in low income families than any other industrialized country (Smeeding, Torrey, & Rain 2002). It is believed that the reasoning for children’s income status being relatively low is due to adults and the elderly. In the proposed research, we will: examine the published research on child poverty that impacts social and behavioral studies and define the scope and nature of problem and discuss strategies for solving this problem. Qualitative and quantitative research approaches will be used to examine diverse perspectives and factors associated with child poverty. In addition, we will summarize key findings of research and...
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...didn’t think of them in this way since starting class and doing the research we’ve done, have taught me so much. Many of society issues are social inequality, poverty, urbanization, discrimination against race, and culture. When learning about these issues, I’ve decided to do my paper on Poverty and Children in the United States. Poverty within the United States has become a major issue that affects our society and at hand families with children are coming face to face with this issue every day of their life. Poverty has become a major issue in our society today due to the result of our economy and the decision that one makes in life. And sad to say when the economy is always on the defense at failing, the children of our society have to pay a high price. There’s many reason and factors that can be related to one’s poverty. Some factors that can take place to which can place a child at poverty could be, single parent, unemployment, homelessness, abuse, or mother having more kids she can take care of. Over time history shows that poverty in the United States has raised a great deal. Many of us can’t even imagine how it feel to live in poverty, even if it’s looking us right in our eyes, we still try not to picture ourselves in that place. Poverty means can range from so much, and not just from not having enough money. Poverty truly mean not having enough of everything you need in order to take care of your household, money, and food is the main source. Not being able to having enough...
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...Eradication of Poverty and Extreme Hunger Not everyone is born into a rich family. Those lucky enough to have been born into one have a responsibility to help those not so blessed. The United Nations' job is just that. They are an international agency whose aim is to eliminate poverty, illiteracy, and disease, stop environmental destruction, and encourage democratic rights and freedoms. Poverty and extreme hunger are something that are affecting most country in the world; no matter how big or small, rich or poor. This issue causes the most pain today, and is also the biggest threat to a person's future. Eradicating poverty and extreme hunger are the top priority of the United Nations in the 21st century because it will reduce the amount of malnutrition in people and improve their education. One of the reasons why poverty and extreme hunger must be eradicated is because without it there would be a dramatic drop in the number of malnourished people around the world. Poverty and hunger can affect young and old and is the biggest contributor to malnutrition. This can be seen in the Central American country of Guatemala. The Guatemala Poverty Assessment states that, "There is a strong correlation between poverty and malnutrition, as four fifths of malnourished children are poor" (Guatemala Poverty). In politics, a 66% super majority is rarely required when deciding on an issue because of the difficulty in achieving it. Therefore, when a supermajority is achieved, it can always...
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...Poverty in America: An Overview Stephanie Tran Pol S 310 Professor Strohman Iowa State University Some people may argue that the American dream is no longer achievable. Perhaps it was, but as time lapses and history takes its course, the pursuit itself may appear meeker. Today, most people would agree that the economy “is bad,” but what does that truly mean? A “bad economy” may impact some families on a more personal level than it appears. There are 20.6 million people in the United States who live in deep poverty, 6 million of whom have no income (Edelman). A family that lives in poverty is not always obvious to the eye. When a person thinks of “poverty,” he or she may think of developing countries with people who live with little to no food, shelter, or clothing. They may think of the too-thin African children in black and white commercials with the sad music trying to guilt viewers to send money. However, in America, poverty is a little more complex than that, and standards for poverty here are different than that of Africa, Asia, or Mexico. While poverty in the United States may still include an income, free education for children, and a place to live, it still may entail food insecurity, debt, lack of basic necessities, and the weight of stress and pressure from society that can take a huge emotional toll on a family. Poverty in the United States is a very real problem, and many people are unaware of the impacts of it. In the United States, the poverty rate...
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...Introduction The number of children facing poverty in America continues to increase for the nation although the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Frequent discussions of children’s well-being in the U.S. refer to the recent expansion rate in poverty. For example, more than 1.1 million children made the 2009 and 2010 poverty population list; based on the American community survey (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009). This paper analyzes the current extent of poverty and its implications amongst children in the United States. It also analyzes the history, structure, health, strength of poverty, and critical shortcomings that theoretically covers the recognized deprivation of poverty. Therefore, the overall hypothesis for this article reveals the critical effects that poverty has on children and families living in a wealthy country. How is it that poverty continues to increase in such an upper class country? What is Poverty? Researchers and policy makers have endlessly debated the precise definition of poverty. The description of the distinguished word has two inexact concepts: absolute poverty and relative poverty. Absolute poverty insinuates a set of resources and individual must attain to reach some standard of living threshold. For monetary measures, objective income thresholds or poverty line deliberately mirrors the cost of food, housing, affordable healthcare, and other...
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...Why can’t we end Poverty in America? Jake Hauser English 102 12/6/13 Today in the United States, more than 46 million Americans are living in poverty. The word poverty is defined as; the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. In other words, poverty is essentially the state of being poor. In a broad perspective, there are two types of poverty. There is relative poverty which refers to people who live in poor accommodations, cannot afford certain necessities, and struggle to make ends meet. In most cases for theses people, there is welfare available to help them so it would be rare for them to go without somewhere to live or to go starving. The other kind of poverty is known as absolute poverty. This is the kind of poverty that you would see in third world countries. These people have no food, no water and no help and it usually leads to death. Believe it or not, poverty is a worldwide problem that is taking place in every nation on the globe. In fact, half of the people in the world today are living on less than $2.50 per day. Statistically, Haiti is the most poverty stricken country in the world, with 77% of it’s population living below the poverty line. It also has a 40% unemployment rate, and many poverty-stricken people live on less than $1 a day. The United States may not be the most poverty stricken country in the world, but that doesn’t mean that there still isn’t a big problem in our...
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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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...Poverty: Who are the poor in the United States? When most people think of the United States they think, the land of the free and the place were dreams come true. Living in the US, there is no limit for advancement and opportunity. No man, woman or child should ever go hungry or want for anything. Here in the US we have more cars on the road and more skyscrapers in large cities than anywhere. In small towns, there are wheat fields and cornfields for miles and miles. As an American living in the US, when we think of poverty we think of countries like India where women wash their clothes in ditches alongside main roads in Mumbai. In countries like Africa Ethiopian men, women and children may go days without a meal, sometime weeks. Examining third world countries and their poverty level, does it cross our minds that poverty really exist here in the United States? Poverty levels in the US do not compare to the poverty level in third world countries. Poverty in a third world country is measured in the terms of absolute poverty, where a person lives in conditions he/she does not have the means to meet the basic needs in life. Their living conditions could be life threaten. Here in the US, poverty level is measured in the terms of relative poverty. According to the article reviewed by Thomas J. Corbett entitled “Poverty” (2008), “Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than others within a society or country, or compared to worldwide averages....
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...Poverty affects the whole world and is payed little attention too. Poverty is a problem the world has been aware of for a long time but now is when we need to work together to solve it. I will mainly be focusing on poverty in the US since that's so close to home. What we need to realize is that poverty exists everywhere. If the US focuses on the problem at hand we will realize how we can strive to end poverty. When many of US citizens hear the word “poverty” or “poor” they immediately think of other countries. The Census Bureau has listed that one in five children in America are using food stamps. Huffpost gives us the information that food stamps enrollment sees new highs last year when the year before that is dropped due to improvements in...
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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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...Cause and Effect of Poverty Barbara Virgo Strayer University Abstract Over the past twenty five years it seem as if poverty has become an Institution in the United States of America, with so much structural changes, economic structuring such as the shifting of manufacturing employment, the high rate of mental illness, the increasing high school drop out rate, the skyrocketing rates of incarceration, with single parenting on the rise and most alarmingly is the amounts of children living in poverty. The risk of not working or working low paying jobs is essential for poverty overload that can lead to the breakdown of family system and the lack of willpower to even address this issue. In the United States years of poverty will “contributes to financial hardships, inadequate housing, substandard schools, and deteriorating neighborhood”. (Dashiff, 2009, p. 23-32). Poverty is voiceless yet powerful enough to cause enormous burden on those that are trapped without any means of escaping its fury. The Unites States Census Bureau revealed that poverty is estimated to affect over thirty five million people, including thirteen million of which are children. Poverty is becoming an epidemic problem in the United States of America; it is unfortunate that even though the United States is a very rich developed country it is associated with so many people living in poverty, deplorable, destitute conditions (there is so much blame to go around.) Poverty is when the basic human...
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...Section 1: Growing up in poverty Poverty is everywhere, It is in every race and every country. A child that grows up in poverty is largely at risk because he or she may speak another language, or be less healthy, or has even been abused in one way or another. When children are in the school system and they are labeled “at-risk” and that means that the student comes from a low-socioeconomic level or speaks another language. Today, there are more single parents, dual earner couples, and parents with more than one job living in both rural and urban areas in the United States than at any other time in history. Statistics show there is approximately one in five American children who live below the national poverty level (Causes of Poverty). In today’s society, many people live below the poverty line and those numbers continue to increase because of our high unemployment rates. The Census Bureau reported that 12% of Americans live in poverty. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the poverty level in 2009 for a family of four was $22,050. With today's unfortunate down turn of events in our economy, many families struggle to earn and still do not come close to that level. Welfare reform in the United States may pressure single mothers to be gainfully employed even though child care is extremely expensive and the mother may only have an income of minimum wage. At-risk children face so many seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The children who are from economically...
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...minorities, elderly, underinsured or uninsured, psychiatric population, immigrants, children, and people with disabilities or multiple chronic conditions (Urban Institute, 2010). To demonstrate an understanding of the impact vulnerable populations have on the United States health care system, it is important to focus on one particular population, e.g., children. It is important to discuss a description of children demographics, explain why children are classified as vulnerable, what influence does this have on America’s health care, and finally to perform an analysis of how stakeholders are affected by this population. Demographics Gender mix. According to the 2010 census, there were 74.2 million children in the United States, 1.9 million more than in 2000, a number that is anticipated to increase to 87.8 million by 2030. There were approximately equal numbers of children in three age groups: 0–5 (25.5 million), 6–11 (25.0 million), and 12–17 (25.1 million) in 2010 (The United States Census, 2010) Children made up 24% of the population in 2010, down from the “baby boom” (1964). The population of children is projected to remain fairly stable through 2050, when they are projected to make up 23% of the population (Lewit, Bennett, & Behrman, 2003). Race/Ethnicity. Racial and ethnic diversity has also grown in the United States in the last three decades. This increase first appeared in children and later in the older population. The population is projected to become even more...
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