Good Example Of Essay On Poverty In New York City

New York City is no stranger to the perils of social injustices and issues. From unaffordable healthcare to domestic violence, the city has seen all of these problems and many more. However what is the root of the majority of social issues and problems? Where do they begin? Typically the answer can be traced back to poverty. Many social problems and issues are born out of poverty.
It is easy to see why the poverty level in New York City, and across the country is an issue. Poverty allows unacceptable living standards to become the norm. Impoverished families live without healthcare because it is unaffordable. Many preventive systems designed to save low income families have been poorly reformed. The reform also impacted the elderly, forcing them to pay high premiums to Medicaid that they often could not afford. Poverty also breeds living situations that would otherwise be unacceptable. Children living in families below the poverty line are 70 percent more likely to experience abuse than children living above the poverty line. Impoverished children are also 35 percent more likely than middleclass children to engage in criminal activity. These factors combined ensure that the sick and abused often stay sick and abused, preventing individuals, families, and communities from progressing forward up the socioeconomic ladder.
Sociology’s conflict theory suggests that society itself introduce variables into the system that cause a perpetual and inescapable cycle, trapping individuals. This is exemplified by the welfare system. The welfare system was introduced in 1965 in an effort to begin the “War on Poverty”. The theory was that, with government aid, those in need would remain sustained until they were able to regain self-sufficiency. Since then, however, studies have shown that the welfare system serves more as a crutch than an aid and when individuals are promised a specific income, no matter how small, their productivity and eagerness to work decreases. Their rate of marriage and divorce also increase. According to studies, the introduction of the welfare system encourages people to be dependent. This is in direct violation of the self-sustaining formula suggested avoiding poverty, the formula being to graduate high school, get a job, get married, and not have children until after you are married.
Obvious methods to help this social issue would be to decrease the cost of basic living expenses such as healthcare and food while introducing more jobs. This would allow the impoverished a chance to get ahead while living within their means. However because studies show that welfare decreases motivation to work, the introduction of jobs is unlikely to help. Educating individuals on the four principles to remain out of poverty would be a good start to changing this issue. Transitioning from the welfare system to something less permanent would also help. A temporary income, such as unemployment, may not decrease the individual’s motivation to work in the same way welfare does.
It is unfortunate that so many in New York City and across the country must be impacted by poverty. So much suffering can come from it. However now that we realize welfare may be hurting individuals living in poverty more than it is helping them we would be remiss not to reform the system. Through education and changes in the system we can put shorten the gap between the rich and the poor, bringing the city, and the rest of country, back on stable ground.