Sociologists explain poverty in a number of different ways. Some sociological explanations of poverty say that the problem is with the attitudes and values of the poor, while other explanations say that the problem is with society and the economy. One explanation of poverty is the culture of poverty, which refers to the attitudes and values that people in poverty have. Poor people think that they can't change their situation and will always be poor, so they tend not to aim high and don’t make sacrifices as they feel that they won't achieve much. They also live for the moment (present gratification).
According to Townsend (1979) individuals or families can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the type of diet, participation in the activities that are at least widely encouraged in society. This is termed relative poverty. Absolute poverty occurs when a person’s life falls below a fixed standard, experiences complete destitution and can not meet minimum needs of food and shelter (Townsend, 1979). Gender difference is a significant factor that has caused social exclusion and it could be argued that this exclusion is socially constructed. Firstly although much has improved there still is discrimination and inequalities in the labour market.
Women were another vulnerable group because they were always paid at a lower rate than men. There was no safety net for people who fell into poverty other than resorting to the ‘workhouse’ which had been established to deal with cases of extreme poverty in Trade unions had little power as the Taff Vale Incident of 1901 showed and Friendly Societies could only provide a limited amount of help. Attitudes to poverty in the early 20th century were quite unsympathetic many politicians from both the Liberal and Conservative party felt that poverty came from personal laziness. Both parties had an attitude of “laissez-faire” i.e. non interference from the government.
This is because they have not got much money and leisure activities cost a lot. The families from lower socioeconomic groups are normally the people who intake a lot of alcohol/drugs and this could potentially lead them into prison. People with ‘professional jobs’ such as
The idea that unequal treatment and social mistreatment are still constant struggles is addressed in Angelina Price’s essay “Working Class Whites” and bell hooks’ essay “Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance. Both authors explain how racial and social controversy affects today’s society. This is done through Price narrowing her focus on how class structure and media relations affects this issue while hooks’ essay concentrates more on public perception with relation to this issue. Both authors use a significant amount of evidence to support their logic as well as ideas that allow the reader to draw their own personal conclusions. In both essays, the idea of social class fueling thoughts and perceptions of either the “Other” or “poor white class” in today’s society is drawn upon multiple times.
The firsthand accounts being used in this paper are selections taken from the book Hard Times, written by Louis ‘Studs’ Terkel. I will focus on his interview of Emma Tiller, Cesar Chavez, and Blackie Gold, three very different individuals with three very different experiences and social statuses during the time of the Great Depression. Their experiences will, hopefully, provide an illuminating perspective to a history that has so often been cut and dried, referring to its people, often only as a whole or groups. Rarely is the focus on certain individuals and how their relations connect to their nation as a whole. Looking at Emma Tiller’s experience, we see how she dealt with the market collapse of 1929, where individuals were fearfully seeking justification for why things are in shambles.
While Eighner and Ehrenreich are both well educated, their experiences with poverty, finding food and where they live are vastly different. Two people of high intelligence see poverty in very different ways. Eighner is a published writer; however, he lived on the streets as “dumpster diver.” He viewed poverty not as living on the streets and eating out of dumpsters. He saw poverty as mankind wasting so easily and taking things for granted. Ehrenreich is also a published writer; however her view on poverty is living in a crowded apartment or in car.
Rushabh Shah English 1B Essay 1 12/05/2010 There are various definitions of poverty depending on the contest of the situation and the views of the person defining it. Poverty could be defined a lack of goods and services necessary to maintain a minimal adequate standard of living. The definition of the term adequate varies, however, with the general standard of living in a society and with public attitudes toward deprivation. No accepted definition of basic needs exists because poverty is a relative concept. In poorer countries it means living at the brink of subsistence, while in the U.S, few improvised families confront starvation, although many suffer from undernourishment.
In American society today there is a wide range of desolating case and insular poverty, and society’s bias opinion about these issues have not changed much over the years. Case poverty is a very pernicious situation for its victims. Galbraith states, “Case poverty is commonly and properly related to some characteristics
Within my own workplace I have noticed that the some residents intolerant of people who suffer from Dementia. This is based on a stereotype that Dementia is a stigma. Structural discrimination reflects the way in which society allows some groups to retain more power than others. As such, some groups do not have the power to change the stereotypes that exist about themselves. For example, members of black and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately represented in low wage or unemployment statistics, reflecting their low status and position in society.