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Developing an Understanding of a Disadvantaged Group



This essay will explore the issues faced by families living in poverty. Families living in poverty are disadvantaged in society due to labelling and treating them as the underclass citizens of society. Poverty can occur in all races and cultures and doesn’t discriminate. Society tries to place blame on to families who live in poverty and not seeing them as the victims of the dominate class. This leaves the family open to exploitation as they lack the resources to alter their circumstances to be able to move out of poverty.


Families living in poverty are considered disadvantaged in society due to seeing them as the under classed citizens of the general population. Families frequently suffer economic disadvantage (hardship) and low living standards as they can’t afford the necessities and experience real deprivation and hardship in everyday life (Issues in society, Poverty, p1).

Who is likely to be affected by poverty? There are high rates of poverty among families experiencing unemployment, single parent families and indigenous families. As we know that these families are receiving income support from the government, we also need to include the working poor. The new industrial relation laws have proven popular with employers as they can employ workers on short term contacts, part-time or casual. This suits their needs as they are able to make more profits and payout less benefits. Families living on the poverty line often work for lower paid wages. The result of this is that there is a lack of sick leave and holiday pay for employees. This has an impact on the family income if they get sick or want to take holidays they are unable due to loss of income and wages. This increases job insecurity as employers have the power to sack or retrench employees at short notice and families fall into a cycle of low paid insecure employment...