Poverty in United States

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Poverty in United States

Introduction

Efforts have been made in this essay to introduce the concept of poverty by defining it in simple understandable language and commenting on the various aspects determining poverty . The main body of the essay however , deals with the poverty issues prevalent in the United States their causes and remedial measures , highlighting the government efforts to diminish and uproot poverty from the United States of America

What is Poverty

Poverty in literal words mean

lack or no resource of income for leading a life or fulfilling wishes to stand by the standards of society . People who face poverty lack of proper and essential facilities such as food shelter , health , and proper medical care . In that these people suffer from a lot of diseases such as malnutrition and often it is the basis of their death too . Poverty also creates an inner feeling of inferiority complex and irritations or frustration . Many attempts have been done in regard to curb poverty by government and private institutions but howsoever the poverty ratio throughout the world is about 1 billion people

How Poverty is measured up

The exact definition of poverty varies from one community to another Most people define the term based on their unique cultures , lifestyles and experiences . For example , many people who live in the United States believe they must have an automobile to live decently . Such people would consider themselves poor if they could not afford one . However , many people in less developed countries regard cars as luxuries . They would not consider the lack of a car a sign of poverty

Various Standards of Poverty

Governments and organizations throughout the world have created their own standards to measure poverty . Poverty standards can be absolute or relative . Absolute poverty standards are based on the amount of income needed to provide for life 's basic needs . People who have less than this amount are considered poor . Relative poverty standards measure how people 's incomes , resources , or lifestyles compare with those of others in the community . The use of poverty standards helps governments understand social conditions , evaluate economic policies , and carry out programs to help the poor

In the United States , Canada , and a number of other countries , poverty is measured according to yearly income . In most such countries households whose yearly incomes fall at or below a certain level - called the poverty level or poverty line - are considered poor . The value of the poverty line usually depends on the average cost of living In the United States , for instance , the poverty line is based on the amount of income needed to allow households to eat adequately without spending more than a third of their income on food . The amount varies according to the size of the household and , in some cases , the ages of the people in the household

The European Union (EU ) uses a relative poverty standard . According to the EU standard , households whose incomes are less than...