Child Poverty Essay

According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, over 16 million children (22%) in the United States live below the federal poverty level, which is $23,550 per year for a family of four. Research has shown that a family requires an income of about twice that amount just to cover basic needs and expenses. Using these statistics, 45% of children in the US live in low-income households. Most parents of low-income children are employed, but unsteady employment accompanied with low wages leave families struggling to make ends meet. The effects of poverty on children are numerous and long lasting, such as impaired learning ability as well as social, behavioral, and emotional difficulties. Childhood poverty can also contribute to poor physical and mental health. Research has shown that poverty is the greatest threat to s child’s well-being, but public policies can make a difference when they are implemented effectively.

If I study child poverty from a micro, meso, and macro level. I would start with my own community, which would be on a micro level. I would go to downtown los angels to skid row and look for groups of homeless children. I would observe different kids that I find for a week. I would take notes on how they survive. I would observe where do they eat, where & how they sleep. I would also observe their interaction around other people. After I observed them for a week. I would pick 4 children to Interview. I would pick two girls and two boys. I would interview an African American girl that is in poverty that lives with her family that is close to the age of 16. I would also interview another girl that is Hispanic in her early teens, that does

Statistics show that Canada's child poverty rate was higher in 2013 than in 1989, with 1,334,930 Canadian children (19%) living in poverty in 2013 (Khanna, et al, 2015, p. 3). Child poverty can affect any group, however, members of marginalized communities are often the most severely affected (Khanna et al, 2015, p. 3). The distribution of child poverty rates in Canada is attributable to many factors. The following description will focus on some of these main factors as they relate to the distribution of child poverty in Canada.

This Infographic caught my attention because it was using very bold colors such as blue, white and yellow. The infographic also caught my attention because it had a theme of a school it also had a title which started with “child poverty”. The word “poverty” when look at it, I expect a homeless child in some developing country. The child I expect looks very skinny, hungry and has clothes on that are torn up or no clothes at all. Also this infographic had a lot of numbers side by side, this caught my attention because I was very curious about what those numbers were for. In my thoughts I was thinking the numbers were to do with education inequality’s but I soon found out that I was wrong.

When analyzing children growing up in poverty a lot of factors come into play such as their physical, psychological and emotional development. To grow up in poverty can have long term effect on a child. What should be emphasized in analyzing the effects of poverty on children is how it has caused many children around the world to suffer from physical disorders, malnutrition, and even diminishes their capacities to function in society. Poverty has played a major role in the functioning of families and the level of social and emotional competency that children are able to reach. Children in poverty stricken families are exposed to greater and emotional risks and stress level factors. They are even capable of understanding and dealing with

According to the United States Census Bureau’s 2016 report on Income and Poverty, in 2015 there were 43 million American people living at or below the national poverty threshold (12). For individuals this meant earning an annual salary at or below 12,082 dollars, with families adding on 4,160 dollars for each additional person (43). Poverty can be defined simply as economic deprivation on an individual or a family, however its causes and effects are each respectively far-reaching and complicated. Specifically, the effects of living in poverty can be detrimental to an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Living in poverty can also impact various aspects of a child’s development. Eliminating poverty seems like a lofty goal, but

Poverty is a major issue that can vastly affect childhood development. (Horgan, 2007). Primary education is significantly important in children’s development and attainment, and is often supported through the parents and educators. However, in modern times it is not easy to raise a child and help them to reach their potential. In the early years of a child’s development they are more prone to problems which could hinder their education. Poverty is only one issue, but could be a leading factor, as it may affect the health of a child, which may have a negative impact in progressing. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds do worse than those from advantaged backgrounds by a greater amount than elsewhere. For example, only about a quarter of students receiving free school meals gain five good GCSEs or equivalent, compared to over half of the overall population (DfES 2006). Those children with parents with low skills and qualifications seem to be effected more so, as these

children living in these types of households. In 2012, “24.2 million U.S. children were living in poverty, reflecting an increase of 1.7 million children since 2008” and has the country now ranking “near the bottom of the pack of wealthy nations on a measure of child poverty” (Ingraham). The most distinct reason as to why these children are affected is due to low levels of average income in parental work which eventually leads to irresponsible childbearing throughout the child’s lifetime. However, by directing all the attention towards solving these apparent causes on the entirety of these households, we are completely neglecting the least obvious yet major social, physical, and psychosocial effects poverty has on our younger

Children who are insecure about where their next meal will come from, where they will sleep that night and habitually suffer from poor health conditions are often associated with third world countries. The staggering truth is that these children exist in America. In fact 18% of American children face one or all of these challenges on a daily basis with little to no hope for change in their future. The cycle of poverty continues to plague American children and families, but with focused changes in health care and education they will break the cycle. Evidence shows that children who live in poverty are less likely to escape it due to the difficulties faced at home, inefficiencies in the education system and their health environment entraps them.

In the fall of 1989, the House of Commons passed a resolution stating that “This House seeks to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000.” It is now 2009, more than two decades after the plan was proposed, and almost a decade after the 2000 deadline. However, this problem has only been getting worse. According to the 2008 National Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada, one out of every

“High rates of child poverty are a cause for concern, as low family income has been associated with a range of negative health, education, justice, labour market and social outcomes. Negative health outcomes include low birth weight, infant mortality, poorer mental health and cognitive development, and hospital admissions from a variety of causes” (Craig, Reddington, Wicken, Oben & Simpson, 2013, pg. 24).

The number of children in poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand 2016 has become an enormouse problem. As of 2013 one in four children is in a household that lacks enough income for basic needs like being able to heat their house, own a decent pair of shoes or purchase fruit and vegetables too consume (Perry, 2013, p213). Since the election of the current National Party lead government six years ago, 35,000 more children are living in poverty-stricken lives. As with other governments facing similar problems, such as Australia and .. there is now discussion within different political parties within New Zealand about how the people in political power can reduce the number of children in poverty. A social issue can often be hard to define, whether it is a private or public issue is often one of great debate. The use of social policy is used to create a collective response to perceived problems surrounding equality, gender, disability, ethnicity, power, freedom and sustainability. The significant increase of children in poverty is of interest because of clashing views of different political debates about how to improve the wellbeing for the children that are living in these unhealthy standards. All parties involved in these debates have both positive and negative opinions on how this can be achieved. This essay will argue that the Green Party of New Zealand, with their social democratic set of beliefs have the potential to positively impact the lives of children in poverty. The essay

For our first sociology project, we decided to broaden our knowledge and intellectual curiosity on child poverty in the United States today. We chose this study and topic because we believe that this topic is of national importance and must be addressed and studied at the county level, as well. This is an issue that we can see and directly relate to in our own state capital (Trenton) and in Newark. It is also interesting to compare those urban areas with childhood poverty in a more suburban area like Cherry Hill, which ironically, neighbors the poverty stricken Camden. Childhood poverty is significant to our country because it costs enormous amounts of funding in economic support from the government, relates to unemployment, and creates a larger socio-economic class divide. Other factors such as religion and race also play a key role which then spills over into other areas of economic problems in our society. (Article) The study that we chose, authored by Sri Ranjith and Anil Rupasingha, narrows down some of the causes of poverty in children through social, cultural, spatial, and religious aspects in American communities. The study investigates religious backgrounds such as Mainline Protestants, Evangelical Protestants, and Catholics to base their results for their hypothesis, that both religious adherence and social capital contain negative

Poverty is oftentimes found in cities and rural areas across the United States. Although there are some instances in which children climb out of poverty as adults, most children that grow up in poverty tend to stay in poverty. Furthermore, according to the 2015 U.S. Census Bureau, it is stated that “19.7% of all children lived in Poverty USA—that’s about 1 in every 5 children” (povertyusa.org para ). Despite the poverty rate decreasing, there are still a significant number of children that are born into poverty. With this large of a number, childhood poverty cannot be overlooked. Luckily, with the help of government-funded programs, children growing up in poverty have better chances to succeed in the future. Despite these programs, many children growing up in poverty are unable to climb out of it for many years, if at all. The effects of children growing up in poverty include not having a role model, not having access to adequate schooling, unemployment, and having a positive feedback loop as children grow up to have kids themselves.

Throughout history it has been clear that poverty is a vicious cycle. It exists as a force that holds people back and prevents them from excelling or making something out of life. Its a problem that often gets shadowed by other major social issues but little does the public know that it is still relevant and will continue to be. I am interested in the topic of poverty because poverty is brutal. It has no remorse and works as entity that only hurts others and creates problems for those to come. I want to bring light to the subject because poverty challenges the way i grew up thinking life was like. People are raised to think everyone has an equal chance at making something out of themselves or becoming successful but this is not true.