(Barnardos, 2013). There are a number of indications as to why child poverty exists, unemployment plays a big part. Unemployment is an indicator of educational disadvantage, which in turn, affects the rest of a child’s life. Lone parent families are also an indication as to why child poverty is on the rise. Single parents have a lack of funds to support their children’s needs.
Many of those children are not provided with necessity nutrition for healthy development. (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2010) Many of these children also lack health insurance and residential stability. Infants and toddlers are the most effected victims of poverty. They are most likely to suffer from starvation and death due to health issues resulting from lack of nutrition and medical help. Infants because of their dependence and need of care suffer from being left alone or with insufficient caregivers.
While 58% of families below the UK poverty line contained at least one working parent, benefits available still do not bring them above the 60% median household income. [4,7] Along with income inequality other inequalities such as: ethnicity, housing and the neighborhood in which the child lives; all contribute to poverty. People from ethnic minority groups in Britain are significantly more likely to be living in poverty. Around a third of all children are living in poverty; but disadvantage is deeper among children in ethnic minority groups as a whole. Homelessness; poor accommodation such as overcrowding, poor state of repair blights childhood.
Children born into homelessness are more likely to have low birth weights and are at greater risk of death. Homelessness also exposes infants to environmental factors that can endanger their health. Because homeless families often have little access to health care, many homeless infants lack essential immunizations. As of June 2008, there are more than 100,000 homeless children in Massachusetts. Out of these numbers 2,472 living in emergency shelter funded by the Ma Department of Transitional Assistance.
Effects of Poverty on Children Hilario Yanez Professor Emmanuel Obi SOC100 November 20, 2014 Effects of Poverty on Children Specific Hypothesis: Poverty is the leading cause for many children from low-income families to have more learning and health problems in the United States. They also experience poverty as their families’ incomes are terribly small. This prevents their children from participating entirely in the society. Applicable Sociological Concepts: The Social-Conflict theory is being used as stated by Macionis (2010); this theory shows how inequality creates conflict to poor families by not providing equal benefits to them. Parents can’t afford good jobs to provide any benefits to their children.
How is a child to learn the meaning of having friends or of dignity growing up this way? Poverty and homelessness are not just temporary conditions: For hundreds of thousands of children, these circumstances will have an effect on the rest of their lives. The effects of poverty and homelessness on children are numerous. Many of these children grow up with no friends and become emotionally, mentally, and socially disconnected. Scheller, growing up extremely poor herself, explains that spending your childhood in incessant, unflinching poverty can replace normal self-esteem with a feeling of shame (356).
Every year, more than 200 million children under five years old fail to reach their full cognitive and social potential. Most of these children live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. As a result of poor development, many children are likely to under-achieve in school and subsequently to have low incomes as adults. As adults, they are also likely to have children at a very early age, and provide poor health care, nutrition and stimulation to their children, thus contributing to the intergenerational transmission of poverty and poor development. Despite the overwhelming evidence, the health sector has been slow to promote early child development and to support families with appropriate information and skills.
This was supported by the National Child Development Study which found that children from low income households were an average of 9 months behind in their education compared to others. It showed that material factors such as a poor diet, overcrowded housing and lack of resources have an impact on working class children’s education. Additionally, family socialisation also is believed to affect the social class differences in achievement. Parental interest is shown to have a big impact. JWB Douglas did a longitudinal study of 5’362 children in 1964 which continued until they were 16.
Many people who are out of work rely on state benefits to survive, and if they have children these benefits often are not enough to keep the family above the poverty line, hence the children suffer by lacking basic essentials such as new school uniforms, schoolbooks, pens, pencils etc, and therefore their education suffers. If these children can’t get a decent education then they
Despite very significant attempts to improve outcomes for looked after children, this social group remain vulnerable to social exclusion. Why are young people leaving care vulnerable to social exclusion and why do policy initiatives appear to falter? Critically Discuss. “It has long been apparent to those working with young people in and leaving care that many experience considerable difficulties related to poor physical, mental and general well-being, which without adequate support, can have a lasting impact on future progress” (Dixon, 2008:207). For young people leaving care, such ‘difficulties’ are highlighted in research which suggests in 2006, only 12% of children in care achieved 5 A* to C grades at GCSE, compared to 59% of all children, and 38% leave care prior to the age of 18.