Poverty is one of the most prevalent social problems in the United States of America. It is estimated that over 35 million people in the US, about 14% of the whole population, are poor. Other estimates put the poverty range from 10-21% of the total population. These estimates represent absolute poverty, which describes the condition where an individual lacks the least amount food and shelter required to sustain life. Many sociologists, however; prefer relative poverty. This describes an individual who lacks the basic necessities to lead a decent life because his or her income is below half of the median income of the nation. About 20% of Americans are relatively poor. This condition has persisted for the last 40 years. The need to address poverty is crucial and many social workers have put much effort in an attempt to eradicate it. It is, therefore, important to understand the causes, sociological theories, and impacts of poverty.
The explanations of the causes of poverty can be organized into two categories, i.e. individualistic or cultural explanations and structural explanations. Individualistic explanations of poverty focus on the beliefs held by individuals and their social groups. Holding on to this characteristic, we may argue that poverty is a quality of the poor. Therefore, if poverty is caused by how the poor behave, then solutions need to focus on measures of how to change the behavior of the poor.
The idea of culture of poverty was first described by Oscar Lewis in 1959. He studied the Mexican and the Puerto Rican communities seeking to comprehend how culture influenced poverty. He claimed that poverty was socially organized just like any other social activity. The persistence of poverty from generation to generation was as a result of the process of socialization. Adults who live in poverty, due to reasons such as unemployment, low income, disability and income, adapt to living in poverty and, in the process, pass this mentality to the younger generation, and the cycle continues. A poor society develops a culture of poverty to help them carry out certain functions, which include: informal lending and borrowing from friends, living each day at a time and worrying about tomorrow when it arrives, and informal living arrangements like lack of institutions such as marriages to avoid strain in the limited resources. The culture of poverty does not address the problem, it propagates it. Informal economies such as money lending and borrowing may present a short term solution, however; it creates a long term problem because the lender has to pay back what he owes plus interest.
Cultural theories of poverty have led to the development of other theories such as the theory of the underclass. It is closely linked to the New Rights perspectives in America. Charles Murray and Frank Field both argue that the poor in the US are a class apart from mainstream society. Mark O’Brian noted that theorists of New Rights grouped the poor into two categories; the deserving poor who can only blame themselves for their predicaments, and the undeserving poor who make little or no effort at all to get involved in the daily life of mainstream society. The undeserving poor indulge in activities such as petty crimes, are unwilling to seek for paying jobs and lack educational or cultural skills.
Structural explanations examine how structural factors in a society limit behavioral choices. The theories in this category attribute poverty to the behavior of the government, the wealthy, and the economic changes in the society. Since the Second World War, the labor market in most parts of the world has experienced a general decline. While employment in the manufacturing industry has reduced, it has risen in the service industry. These changes have influenced poverty in many ways: changing labor markets over the past years have increased unemployment cases. Furthermore, the wages for workers have gone down because many companies are able to hire workers willing to receive low wages. More women have also entered the labor market creating tension in societies where men were the providers for families. The globalization of telecommunication and computer technology has expanded the labor market further making it possible for companies to hire workers from the diaspora. According to Marxist’s perspectives, poverty is bound to occur in a capitalistic society. This is explained by the unequal distribution of wealth and income in such societies. In capitalism, poverty is necessary because the poor are used by the wealthy as source of labor. The wealthy rely on the abundance of labor to control wages and get high profits.
Sociological research programs on poverty will improve the current data on poverty. Moreover, it will enhance the tools and methods for the analysis of poverty and inequality. Scientific research will also ensure a better understanding of the poverty causes, cost and effects on individuals, families, groups and societies. The data from the research will be used to formulate practical solutions and policies for the eradication of poverty.
References
Lawson, T., & Livesey, C. (2008). AS Sociology For AQA. London: Social Central/Online Classroom.
Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research. (2013). Retrieved April 30, 2013
