Defining & Describing Poverty

Stratification Is the division of society into categories, ranks, or classes is called social stratification Functionalist Theory – view stratification as a necessary otherwise many jobs would not be filled…you work hard to become a doctor because it pays more Conflict Theory – the owners of the means of production control the working class in order to make profits and maintain their power in society; once in power the rich maintain their wealth

Class vs Caste Class Caste Resources and social rewards are based on achieved statuses A person has control over their status through talent, effort, etc. Caste Resources and social rewards are based on inherited statuses A newborn’s status is dependent on their parents

Class v Caste Caste Class They cannot move to a higher status You cannot marry outside your caste and you must work in a job in your caste Class They can move to a higher status You can marry outside your status and work any job

Defining Poverty and Hunger Poverty – is the lack of basic human needs, such as clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter, because of the inability to afford them Hunger – the condition of people who frequently live with the desire to have food

Why Are People Poor? In groups, determine why each group listed might be poor Immigrants African Americans Seniors Children Veterans

Reasons Why People Are Poor: Lack of education Health, handicap, age Caused by their environment Lost their job Addicted to drugs/alcohol Bad spending habits Lazy/unmotivated War & natural disasters Discrimination Wealthy don’t give much benefits or money to workers

Effects of Poverty Low self-esteem Child soldiers and laborers Rates of illnesses increase Life expectancy decreases Inadequate nutrition Less access to medical care Inadequate and unsafe housing More likely to commit a crime School funding is usually based on local property taxes, so low-inome areas are often inadequately funded

Poverty Persons in family Poverty guideline 1 $10,830 2 14,570 3 18,310 4 22,050 5 25,790 6 29,530 7 33,270 8 37,010 For families with more than 8 persons, add $3,740 for each additional person.

Poverty 1.4 billion people live on $1 a day; 80% of the population live on $10 or less per day 39.1 million live in poverty according to U.S. standards in our country

Hunger 1.02 billion people are chronically hungry Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes

Largest Growing Segment of Poor Are children! 1.5 million are homeless in the U.S. Why?????

School Uniforms For Arguments: Against Arguments: No one knows who is poor if everyone wears school uniforms Poor kids aren’t made fun of It saves money Uniforms make it easy to identify kids who belong in the school and those that don't Against Arguments: Uniforms suppress individualism and creativity Parents find some uniform items to be expensive and that they can never be worn outside school

Educational Vouchers – gov’t money to send poor students to private schools For Arguments: Rich parents have a choice of schools for their kids; poor parents should have the same choice The current public education system is failing countless students, particularly in inner-city neighborhoods, so students should be able to go to better schools No student would be forced to enter a religious school Against Arguments: Since most of the schools in the program are religious, government funding violates the 1st Amendment separation of church and state The government vouchers may not cover transportation costs or uniforms The public education system had helped many children, regardless of their ethnic background or religion

Educating Homeless Kids – Separate vs Integrated Schools Separate Arguments: Not humiliated Everyone treated equally at the school Can give more attention Tries to keep kids in school to increase learning Offer special services that integrated schools don’t Some public schools aren’t doing the job Public schools are more expensive Integrated Schools: It is segregation Schools would “dump” kids in a separate school Aren’t as rigorous Are pitying kids and lowering standards