Social Problems, 13eD. Stanley EitzenMaxine Baca ZinnKelly Eitzen Smith

Chapter 7Poverty

Poverty

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Learning Objectives7.1 Understand the extent of poverty in America. 7.2 Explain the myths and misperceptions

about poor people.7.3 Compare/contrast the various

explanations for poverty: individual, cultural, and structural.

7.4 Explain the costs to society of having a significant portion of the population living in poverty.

7.5 Describe how poverty might be eliminated in the U.S. and what programs are needed to adequately address the needs of the poor population.

7.1 - Extent of Poverty

• Racial/Ethnic Minorities • Gender • Age • Place • The New Poor • The Working Poor • The Near Poor • The Severely Poor

7.1 - Extent of Poverty continued

• Poverty threshold

• Official poverty line– Three times the economy food plan of 1955– Adjusted for inflation

• 15.1 percent lived in poverty in 2010

• One-size-fits-all measurement is a problem

LO 7.1

LO 7.1

LO 7.1 - Racial/Ethnic Minorities

• Poverty rates by race (2010):– Whites: 9.9%– Asian Americans: 12.1%– Latinos: 26.6%– African Americans: 27.4%

• Real median income declined for every racial/ethnic category from 2009-2010

LO 7.1 - Gender

• Women are more likely than men to be poor

• On average, women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men

• Feminization of poverty

LO 7.1 - Age

• Children in female-headed households are four times more likely to live in poverty

• A high proportion of the elderly live just above the poverty line

LO 7.1 - Place

• Persistent poverty counties

• Extreme-poverty neighborhoods

• Problems of spatial concentration of poverty:1.Limited educational opportunities

2.Reduction in services and elimination of jobs

3. Increased burden on services

4.Lowering of home values

5.Higher incidence of health problems

LO 7.1 - Explorer Activity: Poverty: Next Door to Greatness: Poverty in Cambridge, MA

• http://www.socialexplorer.com/pearson/plink.aspx?dest=http%3a%2f%2fwww.socialexplorer.com%2fSpiceMap%2f%3fv%3d90d2250018724728

• Please log into MySocLab with your username and password before accessing this link.

Neighborhoods like this one in Detroit, Michigan, have been hard-hit by the economic recession.

LO 7.1

LO 7.1 - The New Poor

• Longtime workers in poverty

• New versus old poor

Since December 2007, the number of foreclosures in the United States has skyrocketed.

LO 7.1

LO 7.1 - The Working Poor

• In 2010, 2.6 million full-time workers were in poverty

• Dirty work for low pay

• Little government assistance

LO 7.1 - The Near Poor and The Severely Poor

• Near poor are slightly above threshold

• Severely poor are at or below half of the threshold

LO 7.1

Who is more likely than the others to live below the poverty line?

A. an urban single male

B. a suburban married couple

C. an urban married couple with kids

D. a rural single female with kids

LO 7.1

Who is more likely than the others to live below the poverty line?

A. an urban single male

B. a suburban married couple

C. an urban married couple with kids

D. a rural single female with kids

LO 7.1

Many of the new poor worked most of their lives.

A. True

B. False

LO 7.1

Many of the new poor worked most of their lives.

A. True

B. False

7.2 - Myths About Poverty

• Just “Get a Job”

• Welfare Dependency

• The Poor Get Special Advantages

LO 7.2 - Just “Get a Job”

• A job is not a ticket out of poverty

• Minimum wage is not a ticket out of poverty

• Housing is the main expense

LO 7.2

LO 7.2

LO 7.2 - Welfare Dependency

• Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)

• Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF)

• Prior to 1996, what did welfare look like?– Why change?

• Welfare versus wealthfare

LO 7.2

LO 7.2 - The Poor Get Special Advantages

• The poor pay more than the non-poor for many services – food– hospitals– check-cashing centers– regressive tax

LO 7.2

TANF was designed as __________ assistance to help move people from welfare to work.

A. term

B. temporary

C. tertiary

D. transient

LO 7.2

TANF was designed as __________ assistance to help move people from welfare to work.

A. term

B. temporary

C. tertiary

D. transient

LO 7.2

Going to work will raise a family out of poverty.

A. True

B. False

LO 7.2

Going to work will raise a family out of poverty.

A. True

B. False

7.3 - Causes of Poverty

• Deficiency Theories1. Innate Inferiority

2. Cultural Inferiority

• Structural Theories1. Institutional Discrimination

2. Political Economy of Society

LO 7.3 - Deficiency Theory Innate Inferiority

• Herbert Spencer and Social Darwinism– The poor are unfit

• Jensen-Herrnstein-Murray and IQ

• Blaming the victim

• Self-fulfilling prophecy

Programs targeting poor children such as Head Start claim to result in numerous positive outcomes like higher graduation rates and lower rates of delinquency.

LO 7.3

• Culture of poverty – The poor are qualitatively different in values

and lifestyle

– The poor are less likely to defer gratification

– The behaviors of the poor keep them poor

LO 7.3 - Deficiency Theory continued

Cultural Inferiority

LO 7.3 - Structural TheoryInstitutional Discrimination

• The structural conditions of society create poverty– Inequalities in schooling

– Inequalities in the job market

– Inequalities in healthcare

• Capitalism promotes poverty– Employers pay workers the least possible

wage – Labor surplus maintained to keep wages low– Investment decisions made without regard for

impact on employees

LO 7.3 - Structural Theory continued

Political Economy of Society

The Occupy Wall Street Movement opposes wealth and power disparity.

LO 7.3

LO 7.3

The poor remain in poverty because the political clout of the powerful ensures that laws and policies benefit them. This is an example of __________.

A. innate deficiency

B. cultural inferiority

C. institutional discrimination

D. the political economy

LO 7.3

The poor remain in poverty because the political clout of the powerful ensures that laws and policies benefit them. This is an example of __________.

A. innate deficiency

B. cultural inferiority

C. institutional discrimination

D. the political economy

LO 7.3

Clear scientific evidence links poverty to genetics.

A. True

B. False

LO 7.3

Clear scientific evidence links poverty to genetics.

A. True

B. False

7.4 - Costs of Poverty

• Family Problems

• Health Problems

• Problems in School

• Economic Costs

LO 7.4 - Family Problems

• Divorce

• Marriage

• Teen pregnancy

LO 7.4 - Health Problems

• In 2010, 49.9 million people (7.3 million children) had no private or public health insurance

• Emergency medical service

• Infant mortality rate

LO 7.4 - Problems in School

• Drop-out rates

• Lack of resources

• Graduation rates

LO 7.4 - Economic Costs

• $500 billion per year

LO 7.4 - Video: Consequences of Poverty

http://abavtooldev.pearsoncmg.com/sbx_videoplayer_v2/simpleviewer.php?projectID=MSocL_Intelecom&clipID=INT_WWL_09K_004.flv&ui=2

LO 7.4

According to the textbook, why are the uninsured more likely to use emergency room services rather than a doctor’s office?

A. Emergency rooms offer faster service.

B. Doctor’s offices require credit checks.

C. Emergency rooms cannot refuse service.

D. Doctor’s offices have limited hours.

LO 7.4

According to the textbook, why are the uninsured more likely to use emergency room services rather than a doctor’s office?

A. Emergency rooms offer faster service.

B. Doctor’s offices require credit checks.

C. Emergency rooms cannot refuse service.

D. Doctor’s offices have limited hours.

LO 7.4

In 2010, almost 90 million people in the United States had no insurance coverage.

A. True

B. False

LO 7.4

In 2010, almost 90 million people in the United States had no health insurance coverage.

A. True

B. False

7.5 - Elimination of PovertySeven Assumptions

• Assumption 1: Poverty is a social problem and the source of other social problems; therefore, it must be eliminated

• Assumption 2: Poverty can be eliminated in the United States

• Assumption 3: Poverty is caused by a lack of resources, not by a deviant value system

LO 7.5

• Assumption 4: Poverty cannot be eliminated by the private sector of the economy

• Assumption 5: Poverty will not be eliminated by a rising economy

• Assumption 6: Volunteer help from well-meaning individuals, groups, and organizations will not eliminate poverty

• Assumption 7: Poverty is a national problem and must be attacked with massive, nationwide programs financed largely and organized by the federal government

7.5 - Elimination of Poverty continued

Seven Assumptions

In 2001, former President George W. Bush proposed a faith-based initiative, where religious charities could compete for federal money to serve the poor.

LO 7.5

LO 7.5

A key assumption presented in the text about how to eliminate poverty, involves __________.

A. volunteer assistance

B. trickle-down economics

C. job growth

D. national structural changes

LO 7.5

A key assumption presented in the text about how to eliminate poverty, involves __________.

A. volunteer assistance

B. trickle-down economics

C. job growth

D. national structural changes

LO 7.5

According to the textbook, reducing defense spending to help eliminate poverty would put the nation at risk.

A. True

B. False

LO 7.5

According to the textbook, reducing defense spending to help eliminate poverty would put the nation at risk.

A. True

B. False

LO 7.5Question for Discussion

Using the explanations of poverty presented in the textbook to guide your answer, how would you advise that poverty be eliminated?