Sociological Theory On Poverty

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Running head: SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY ON POVERTY Sociological Theory on Poverty Khadija Mohamed SOC- 185 Chamberlain College of Nursing ABSTRACT Poverty is a complex issue and is seen worldwide. I do not believe people choose to be poor but grow into poverty. Since education is very important in our society, I believe one of the main reasons people fall into poverty here in the United States is due to lack of education. The majority of Americans are not able to attend college due to the high cost. Based on my own experience, in order for me to graduate and receive my BSN in nursing, I either have to get a student loan which is over eight thousand dollars per semester or pay the tuition out of pocket. When I was going through the process of applying for a student loan, I was not able to receive any financial aid due to number of reasons. Unfortunately, my parents did not have any college funds saved up for me. Therefore, my options were either pay for college out of pocket or forget about it. Because of this and the lack of financial stability, I now work full time in order to pay tuition. If I was not able to get a job due to the economy, I would not be able to attend college, graduate and then have a well-paying job. Because of the cost of education, parents who live in poverty are not able to provide their children with a quality education and when these children grow up and choose not to work and strive for a better education or a better way of living, they will likely remain in poverty. Functionalist theory What purpose does poverty serve from functionalist perspective? Emile Durkheim stated, “The purpose of education is not the same across all societies, but that its purpose in any given society will instead be whatever it needs to be in order to maintain that society.” Even though we do not like
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