Assess Cultural Explainations of Poverty

592 Words3 Pages
Assess cultural (subculture) explanations of poverty. Cultural theories argue that people are poor due to choices that they make or the values they have. The New Right,Marsland believe poor people depend on welfare and Lewis believes poor people have values that keep them poor. However these theories are not the only way to explain poverty and structural explanations emphasise that society is to blame not the individuals themselves. Marxists and Feminists agree with these theories and think that being in poverty in through little fault of their own. Cultural theories believe that people become dependent on the state as a result of their own actions and they blame the victim. Oscar Lewis believes that culture is an important factor, he introduced the a concept in which he called ‘design for living’. This term means that values have been previously done to benefit the future generations. Individual characteristics are a strong doubtful feeling, of only present time, wondering whether their belongings are going to be secure. Individuals themselves are unable to change their lives due to certain behaviours or beliefs. Oscar Lewis believes that the poor had a design for living, which is a relatively distinction of a subculture of poor with its own norms and values. This therefore implies they only continue their life on a day to day basis. Norms and values are past on from one generation to another therefore people feel as if they don’t know any different as it’s the way they have been brought up via their parents. An example of this is fatalism, they do not believe they can alter their situations through education or any other actions. By the age of 6-7 children have acquired their values from their family that therefore they will continue to live in poverty. Although Lewis’ research shows how values such as fatalism can demotivate poor people and prevent them
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