What is Poverty? STARTER Q1. Give a definition of poverty. Q2. Sort the following into either want or necessity: iPhone Laptop Food Shelter Water Holidays XBOX Clothing School materials

What is Poverty?

Learning Success To Define what is meant by the term ‘Poverty’. To Describe two different ways of measuring poverty: absolute poverty and relative poverty. To Explain that society’s understanding of ‘relative poverty’ has changed over time. To Describe some of the groups more vulnerable to poverty. Success Define what is meant by the term ‘Poverty’. Describe two different ways of measuring poverty: absolute poverty and relative poverty. Explain that society’s understanding of ‘relative poverty’ has changed over time. Describe some of the groups more vulnerable to poverty. List some of the main features of children in poverty by watching a series of video clips.

Poverty The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support – in other words…being poor OR A serious lack of the means for proper existence. Poorer people are dependent on the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) benefits for all or a large part of their income.

Absolute and Relative Poverty It is difficult to get one single definition of poverty. Poverty in Britain is, for the most part, relative rather than absolute. Absolute Poverty – Absolute poverty is the type of poverty experienced in very poor, lesser developed countries. This could be when people are living on very little money, for example £1/2 per day. Relative Poverty - Relative poverty is defined in terms of the area in which a person lives. It applies to wealthy, developed countries such as the UK. A person is living in relative poverty if the household income is less than a certain amount of money. (60% or less than average income of country).

How is Poverty measured? Some groups in the UK are more affected than other groups by poverty. If you are on a low income in the UK you compare yourself with better off British people rather than those in absolute poverty in other parts of the world. The official measure of poverty used by the DWP: “the poverty line” is classed at 60% of median household income – Households Below Average Income, HBAI.

How is Poverty measured? Data is often presented before and after housing costs have been accounted for; the government prefers before housing costs, because similar international data exists to allow comparison. Pressure groups like the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) prefer to use data after housing costs. They argue that this gives a better indication of households disposable income. Another measure is to say that anyone able to claim for means tested benefits such as Income Support is living in poverty.

How is Poverty measured? Using this measure, and before housing costs are taken into account, 2016/17 official data showed: A single person is in poverty if they are living on less than £207.13 per week. A lone parent family with one child (age 0-1) is living in poverty if they are living on less than £308.85 per week

Source – Joseph Rowantree Foundation, April 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJixhIX6Dvg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJRQO50VTKU

How is Poverty measured? Poverty in Scotland, and across the UK, is significantly higher than in other European countries. Poverty exists across Scotland. Nearly all local authorities in Scotland have council wards where over 20% of their children live in poverty. More than a third of people in the poorest fifth of the population now spend more than a third of their income on housing The gap in attainment among children from the most and least deprived areas is very large and increases as children get older Nearly one in five adults in the poorest fifth of the population experience anxiety or depression, far higher than in those who are better off. The majority of people in the poorest fifth of the population in Scotland do not have any savings or investments, and are not building up a pension. ATTAINMENT GAP- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_XnR7JdI4c SCOTTISH ATTIANMENT CHALLENGE-JOHN SWINNEY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxI5p-Zya8y 1 IN 5 LIVE IN POVERTY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cyzn_F-sOY FM ON ATTAINMENT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81R4Ioao7ZQ

Groups More Vulnerable To Poverty Women: lower average income (80% of males for FT employees; 50% PT), lower pensions; responsibility for caring of children / elderly so less likely to work. Unemployed and low-paid: lower incomes. Lone parents: 90%+ are females; cost of raising children; poorer employment prospects. NEET 16/17 year olds (Not in Education, Employment and Training): often ‘disappeared from system’. Disabled or those who care for disabled: fewer and poorer employment prospects.

Groups More Vulnerable To Poverty Ethnic Minorities: poorer employment prospects; disproportionately represented in poorer paid jobs. Pensioners: especially oldest pensioners dependent on State pension or modest occupational pensions.

Groups More Vulnerable To Poverty Children - There were 4 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2015-16. That’s 30 per cent of children, or 9 in a classroom of 30. - Work does not provide a guaranteed route out of poverty in the UK. Two-thirds (67 per cent) of children growing up in poverty live in a family where at least one person works. - Child poverty blights childhoods. Growing up in poverty means being cold, going hungry, not being able to join in activities with friends. For example, 61 per cent of families in the bottom income quintile would like, but cannot afford, to take their children on holiday for one week a year.

Groups More Vulnerable To Poverty Child poverty has long-lasting effects. By 16, children receiving free school meals achieve 1.7 grades lower at GCSE than their wealthier peers. Leaving school with fewer qualifications translates into lower earnings over the course of a working life. Child poverty reduced dramatically between 1998/9-2011/12 when 1.1 million children were lifted out of poverty (BHC). This reduction is credited in large part to measures that increased the levels of lone parents working, as well as real and often significant increases in the level of benefits paid to families with children. Under current government policies, child poverty is projected to rise from 2012/13 with an expected 600,000 more children living in poverty by 2015/16. This upward trend is expected to continue with 4.7 million children projected to be living in poverty by 2020.

Questions Task Task How is poverty measured in the UK? Which measure of poverty is a more accurate reflection of poverty in the UK? Choose 3 groups vulnerable to poverty. Describe why they are vulnerable to poverty in the UK. Task Read the newspaper article and NHS report linked on the blog and summarise these. Add this information to your notes about Child Poverty in Scotland.