Poverty in the U.S.

Poverty in the U .S

Poverty and economic differentiation is one of the main social problems affected societies from primitive times . In spite of a stable economic situation and growth , America is one of the countries affected by this problem . Recent government reports and statistical data (Rodgers , 2000 Cornia , 2004 ) highlight the presence of poverty and 'social exclusion in rural and urban areas where problems exacerbated by the lack of affordable housing , by poor public transport and by the decline in everyday services in villages and small towns . The important fact to

br note is that poverty is a complex problem which requires government interventions and social programs to ensure long-term success

The social problem of poverty is that individuals have no means , they cannot buy food , pay for health care and shelter . Poverty involves three different areas of inequality : income inequalities inadequacies in consumption and living under poverty line . According to Tussing (1975 Poverty in the sense of moneylessness means not having enough of the basic medium of exchange to satisfy elementary human needs and to function economically and socially (p . 2 . Stressing the need to meet basic needs as the primary driving force towards development , sometimes imaginatively termed the 'basic needs approach , emphasizes that health and food are motors for productivity and that the basic needs of all sectors must be met . Following Peter Townsend poverty can be defined as lack of sufficient income for people to play the roles participate in the relationships , and follow the customary behavior which is expected of them by virtue of their membership of society (Townsend cited Iceland , 2003 ,

. 11 . Stratification systems and institutional structures are the most vital underlying features of society in the advanced industrial countries . However a consistent pattern is the great gulf that separates the rich from the poor , and the central role of the state in articulating the relationship between them Poverty is a social problem because it derives from social inequalities and economic differences between classes . Poverty is a social problem because all humans exist in a society and becomes a part of this society

Poverty is the main problem for people who lack social provisions which lead them to hunger and poor health care services . Poverty is a social problem for the most vulnerable members of the American population--single-parent households , children , the least well educated the aged , and the handicapped (Rodgers , 2000 ,

. 4 . On the other hand , it is always difficult to target benefits on the poor . First of all the poor often have an all too well-founded suspicion of government Censuses do not pick up all of the poor . Non-governmental organizations are better at targeting aid to the poor than are governments , but they often lack the resources

Poverty is detrimental to society because it misbalances supply and demand , it worsens the distribution of resources ' and creates social tension (Cornia , 2004 . Economic and social inequality results in high crime rates and social disobedience . For an individual , poverty causes anxiety , desperation and inability to...