Peter Townsend is a Sociologist and is one of the founders of CPAS’s, in 1979 Townsend defined poverty as people and families who lack basic things in life such as food and types of diet, not good living conditions and facilities. In the UK poverty it is caused by a range of factors which work together and result in inadequate resources. We examined how people perceive child poverty and how growing up in poverty affects children. It also addresses some of the underlying causes of child poverty. Findings • More children experience poverty than previously thought.
Consequently, they are likely to live in poverty as adults. If they become parents, their children will be born into poverty and the cycle of deprivation is continued. Some sociologists say that this is the reason why poverty continues to exist - by having children,
There are two main reasons that American children are poor: Their parents don't work much, and fathers are absent from the home. In good economic times or bad, the typical poor family with children is supported by only 800 hours of work during a year: That amounts to 16 hours of work per week. If work in each family were raised to 2,000 hours per year the equivalent of one adult working 40 hours per week throughout the year nearly 75 percent of poor children would be lifted out of official poverty. Father absence is another major cause of child poverty. Nearly twothirds of poor children reside in singleparent homes; each year, an additional 1.3 million children are born out of wedlock.
Since 1971 education cost has increased from $4,300 to more than $9,000 per student. As seen in Bianca's case, her mother cannot afford to pay for her tuition and Daisy's father is unemployed. These kids are forced into "bad education." Some students do not have any aspirations. They live in a neighborhood full of crime therefore their main focus is survival instead of learning.
For example, 14,000 kids have been positively affected by the Michigan Earned Income tax credit, but because it has been cut by 14%, low-income youth are unable to receive the benefits (kidscount). Youth in families that are receiving unemployment are affected because unemployment was cut from 26 weeks to 20 weeks and cash assistance has become more difficult to receive (kidscount). Poverty affects the youth in many ways, such as their family life and education. Many children are neglected in cases of low-income families. 32,500 children have been neglected in 2010, and in Ingham County 42 percent of children have been abused or neglected (milhs.org).
Uninsured children are 10 times more likely than insured children to have unmet medical needs, such as untreated asthma, diabetes or obesity, and are 5 times as likely as an insured child to go more than two years without seeing a doctor, according to Uninsured Children: The Children’s Defense Fund,2012. Children without adequate health insurance are also more likely to die from diseases or illnesses. Children living in a poverty filled home may have health issues that come from such things as no running water, lack of food, lack of heat, or an infestation of bugs. These poor living conditions can really cause a child to fall ill, but when they don’t have the means to receive healthcare, they can become seriously ill. Health can influence everything from a child’s ability to learn to a child’s overall wellbeing (Wolf, 1999). When a parent does not have health insurance for their child, they tend to wait longer to take that child in for care.
In New Orleans, poverty among young children was high, partly because many parents were out of work or in low-wage jobs; also, a high percentage of families were headed by a single parent. Parents’ poor education, health limitations, and disability probably also contributed (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2004). The sketchy information available on the health and development of New Orleans’ young children suggests that many were not doing well. This is not surprising: a wide range of studies consistently shows that poverty and low incomes correlate with worse outcomes for children (Golden 2005). Before the hurricane, Louisiana’s capacity to meet the needs of these young children was limited.
Low income parents are in a culture of poverty. According to the Culture of Poverty theory, the conditions of poverty create its own subculture with its own attitudes, behaviors, and socialization. This culture then passes on across generations, which accounts for most of the poor kids to remain poor. Low income neighborhoods usually lead to bad schools. Why?
Causes and effects of Poverty A starting point for causing poverty can be as simple as early age pregnancies. It is always said ‘Teenage pregnancy generally leads to being in poverty for the majority of your life’, but why is this? Having a baby in your teen years can create unnecessary stress, this could lead to being distracted from school work or even worse, dropping out of school all together. This would leave you with no real qualifications and in the current economic situation the chances are that you will become one of growing number of unemployed young adults. At this point, money will most likely become the main objective.
The Issue of Poverty and Hunger By: Nolan Kibit Lit III 2nd Hour One in seven people die of hunger, and 2.2 million children die each year because they are not immunized .Many people do not know how large of an effect poverty has on the health crisis that we face. Poverty is an important global issue because it plays a role in the estimated one billion people who lack access to health care systems. Health issues are a main concern for countries with high poverty populations. Poverty effects the way we act and live, and our health effects the way that we behave in the real world. Poverty effects our health in many ways including mental health and diseases, access to vaccinations, malnutrition, and attaining adequate healthcare.