Question 1
(a.)
The federal government determines a measure of poverty by comparing pre-tax income with a cost of minimum and standard food diet in the country which is updated annually basing on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Professionals have defined absolute poverty with the emphasis on the monetary aspect of it. As such, according to the government Absolute poverty refers to a situation where a person's financial ability is insufficient to maintain the minimum standard of living (Bogenschneider, 2014). With the increase in scrutiny on social welfare issues, experts find several drawbacks on the government guidelines used to define absolute poverty. These drawbacks could affect the effectiveness of public assistance programs; therefore, it is vital to take note of some of the crucial disadvantages. As mentioned, the government lays emphasis on money in defining poverty.
There are, however, other factors outside a person's financial status that could be used to define poverty, therefore prioritize those who need help more than others do. The government does not consider medical care, food stamps, and school lunches for students and public housing when defining poverty. People could have enough cash to be considered above the average per-capita income in the economy but lack the ability to access quality health care or education. These individuals qualify as potential beneficiaries of government help (Bogenschneider, 2014). Secondly, the government fails to recognize the regional disparity when defining poverty. One of the most striking characteristics of different regions when it comes to the definition of poverty is the different cost of living. For instance, a family living in New York could be considered weak, but well off in less urban regions like Texas.
At the same time, the government does not take into account of other environmental factors that increase poverty such as climate. In this case, there is a need for the government to make a consideration when designing public assistance programs, such that they benefit people predisposed to poverty due to regional and environmental factors. Lastly, it is imperative that the government consider vulnerabilities such as people susceptible to chronic diseases, students with massive loans or mortgage loans (Bogenschneider, 2016). These categories of individuals constitute people who lack the ability to maintain the minimum living standards, despite their financial income.
(b.)
Juveniles represented 25 percent of the population, a statistic which is expected to rise by the year 2020; this is according to the 2006 report on the US population by the U.S Department of Commerce. Policymakers focus on increasing the welfare of persons under 18 years; Juveniles are more likely to commit crime more than their adult counterparts. In my community, the case is not different, for decades, juvenile delinquency has been the main issue affecting the youth; for instance, there has been a 70 percent rise in juvenile arrests in the last ten months.
More youth is involved in drug abuse, violent crimes, petty theft, and carjacking now more than ever. These worrying statistics have even caught the attention of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). One of the factors that are outstanding as the root of the problem is the rise in poverty. With this, juveniles turn to violent crimes to provide for themselves or get in other destructive habits such as drug abuse due to the depression associated with poverty (DiNitto & Johnson, 2012). The evidence provided here should be enough to warrant policy makers to focus their resources on helping the community curb the rising cases of juvenile delinquency (DiNitto & Johnson, 2012). Since poverty has direct links with the increase in youth crimes, the policy makers should design family-centered programs to provide funds to financially challenged families, thus helping cut short the rise in juvenile crimes in the community.
Question 2
(a.)
Comparable worth is a remedy basing on The Equal Pay Act of 1963 to discourage and stop payment inequities that are as a result of discrimination with regards to the sex of an individual. Comparable worth strives to change and influence organizational systems to focus on educational and professional requirements, personal responsibility as well as task activities that are part of respective jobs in the country. According to DiNitto and Johnson (2012), basing on these factors to determine the level of compensation in the various jobs makes more sense than relying wholly on traditional history of the respective jobs.
Court decisions, as well as the Equal Pay Act, emphasize on pay equity requirements to revolve specifically around the amount of work for the job equal pay for equal work. Comparable worth therefore basing on this requirement by the legislations, adjust payment levels of the lower paid groups upwards while requiring the high paid teams to grow at a relatively slow pace. Most agreements of this nature usually affect the public sector more than the private because of the influence of the labor unions.
Equal pay for equal work, on the other hand, involves equation of work and remuneration offered by the employer; this is by the labor rights regarding issues of sexual discrimination and payment gaps due to gender imbalances (DiNitto and Johnson, 2012). Pay discrimination on women comparing them with their male counterparts has roots back in the 18th century during the industrialized revolution. It was until after the second World War that some countries started embracing the concept of equal pay for equal work for instance introduction of the Equal Pay Act 1970 by the United Kingdom (DiNitto and Johnson, 2012).
In as much as Comparable worth and Equal pay for Equal Work seem to be similar in reducing gap earnings between women and men, there is a difference. Comparable worth focuses on reducing the wage gap between men and women that require the same level of skill, effort, responsibility, and knowledge but on different kind of jobs while equal pay for equal work fight to reduce pay gaps between men and women on the same kind of job.
(b.)
According to Bogenschneider (2014), a family is a group of people living together that are joined either by birth, marriage, or adoption. The marketplace today has the direct effect on family life, for instance, the pay discrimination between women and men with regards to comparable and equal pay for equal work policies. Marketplace with regards to professions and skills in the current world is slowly encroaching family life that is causing strains in family relationships. Payment in various places of work where the employees are parents that are part of the family thus an indirect effect on children and spouses. Family life involves agreement on decisions for instance where to stay and what to buy as households, payment in the professional market influences these decisions; these are some of the ways that marketplaces either directly or indirectly encroaches on family life.
In the current economy, child care is among the core aspects because in one way or another every individual belongs to a family. Recent federal allocation of resources on child care agencies and humanitarian services considering frequent reports of child malpractices. According to DiNitto and Johnson (2012), 81,940 children of ages 0 to 8 years were reported of physical and sexual abuses. Investing in this sector, therefore, makes it good for business and the more investments more security for families as well feeling secure.
Question 3
(a.)
Explanation of the household policy debate is through three different theories of family change. In the last 25 years, families have dramatically changed and thus require family policies and regulations to address current problems. Family policy education is a crucial element in ensuring that future generations get the necessary assistance. Instructors of domestic policy face various challenges including the teachings, and how to teach. The three worldviews entail the concerned, sanguine, and the impatient camp.
The Concerned Camp
The concerned camp majorly focuses on the negative impacts that family changes face today and for the last decades. According to this theory, life would have been better if these changes had not occurred (DiNitto, 2011). Some of the values associated with this approach include parental commitment, individual responsibility, and marital fidelity, and civic participation.
The Sanguine Camp
This method shifts focus on the positive impacts of the family changes with a particular interest in the women. According to this view, family change is a sigh of progress, and it's an indicator of family adaptation to the current changes (DiNitto & Johnson, 2012). Social problems associate with the lack of response to social institutions. Values include self-determination, independence, individual freedom, and variation.
The Impatient Camp
This world-view concentrates on the shortfalls the family changes and recommends further change, tolerance, and support for the wide range of family forms. The theory finds it impossible to come to terms with family change. Values include no chosen family type, there exists more many belief systems, and believes that constant family change comes with disadvantages and advantages (Bogenschneider, 2002). All the three camps have some commonality that includes recognizing change, the need for family policies, and the government should be involved, and none of the theories is satisfied.
(b.)
Poverty is a central problem among individuals across the world though there are fewer talks concerning the problem. Addressing the issue is of importance to the society and individuals. Various ideas explain why some families live in poverty while others are well off. The concerned camp would suggest corruption and high levels of unemployment. Unemployment is one of the leading causes of poverty and increased crime rate. The concerned camp also believes that parental employment takes most of the family time thus disrupts family time. According to the sanguine, lack of responsibility is the root of poverty in the society. As a result, advocacy of families to take responsibility is highly encouraged and emphasized (Bogenschneider, 2014). On the other hand, the impatient camp suggests poverty culture as a primary cause of poverty in the society.
(c.)
The government needs to take drastic measures and implement policies that will help alleviate poverty. Addressing increased levels of poverty in the community can be through legislations such as the provision of public services. Most communities lack public services such as health services, housing, and education among others. Provision of these services will help address and alleviate the poverty problem within the society. Additionally, provision of job opportunities to the youth and the public, in general, will have a significant effect on reducing the crime rate.
Policies implemented to curb poverty ought to be kept in check and follow ups done to ensure effectiveness. The relevant agencies are required to make reports on the policy development and progress of the affected persons in the society. Government participation is inevitable as most systems need state implementation and enforcement. Therefore, it is important for the involved state agencies to be proactive in addressing poverty.
Question 4
(a.)
The US family policy can be rated fairly below average when compared with other developed countries. Although the country provides better economic and employment opportunities for working parents, it falls behind in factors such as childcare, family leave, and flexibility (Bogenschneider, 2014). It does not provide any paid maternity leave, but the Family Medical Leave Act offers just twelve weeks of unpaid leave. This law only covers 60 percent of employees who work full-time in companies that have more than 50 employees.
The policy on child care is at low rates with regards to the annual cost of caring for an infant being higher than college fees. Conversely, flexibility for working parents is significantly small with parents struggling to balance work and family responsibilities (DiNitto & Johnson, 2012). The United States has no law that protects salaried workers overwork, no national policy for vacations, and no mandate for the workers' rest. The regulations put strains on the family because the husband and wife struggle to find time to strengthen bonds and address parental care issues.
(b.)
In the United States, healthcare is rationed based on a patient's ability to pay for services and medication. This system affects the 15 percent poor population who are uninsured and unable to afford certain medical facilities. In other countries, mainly in Europe, health services are rationed based on waiting time, primarily because they are under the single-payer health care system where a public insurance scheme pays the costs. Use of the pay-for-service system in healthcare rationing raise several ethical issues, among them the denial of crucial health services to the poor. Time-based rationing is based on the principle of ‘to each person according to need, an equal share, and according to effort'.
The rationing policy of the pay-for-service is ‘to each according to the ability to pay, free market conditions, and to maximize usefulness. As such, ethical issues arise equality and availability of priority treatment for those in need. As such, suffering and death of patients who have no means of paying for medical services stem from the conscious choice of the health institutions and doctors by extension. There is an opposite side of this dilemma that argues that allowing patients to access health care without infringing on the economic rights of the institutions to earn a reward for providing services. Conversely, the right of access to quality health care for those with the ability to pay would be jeopardized.
(c.)
The Civil Rights Act (1964) is legislation that outlawed all levels of discrimination (both institutional and social) based on color, sex, religion, race, or nation of origin. The landmark significance of the law is that it ended racial segregation of the non-white races in public social institutions, streamlining of voter registration among all races and genders, and prohibition of discrimination based on sex at the place of work. The has promoted the civil right of American by removing barriers to education, employment, political participation, and economic participation of all races, genders, and disabled.
Under the custody of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) women now have greater access to employment opportunities and benefits. Between 1964 and 1996, the school dropout rate among African-Americans dropped from 20.5 percent to 13 percent, where 60 percent have enrolled in colleges (U.S. Department of Education, 1999). Almost the same percentage was on women and children with disabilities during this period.
References
Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Family Policy Matters: How Policymaking affects families and what professionals can do. New York: Routledge.
DiNitto, D. M., & Johnson, D. H. (2012). Essentials of Social Welfare: Politics and Public Policy. New York: Pearson Education.
