Poverty is one of the far-reaching and long-standing causes of chronic suffering. The degree of poverty is particularly ironic in the United States where one out of six people live in poverty or near poverty. In the case of children, the poverty rate is higher. The public and presidential concern for poverty within the United States has been minimal for years in spite of a drastic increase in wealth and income inequalities during the past decades (Singh, 2015). The concentration of poverty in a specific geographic area in the US is a result of various factors, such as higher crime rates, increased drug use and greater number of single-parent families (Jargowsky et al., 2014). Changes occurring within the family structure are central to the increase of poverty. In the recent years, the middle class has also been suffering from poverty due to wide reasons, such as increasing divorce rates, mortgage crisis, corporate layoffs, parental death, unemployment and many others (Fuller-Rowell et al., 2012). There are two viewpoints that explain the prevalence of poverty. While some blame the poor for their own condition, some others blame the social structural causes.
In a sociological perspective, poverty is a structural aspect, which does not exist by itself rather occurs as a result of uneven distribution of income and wealth among individuals. Poverty exists as a result of improper organization of the economic and social systems of the US, which encourages the accretion of wealth in the hands of a few while creating conditions of scarcity of wealth and resources at the other end, thereby making poverty inevitable (Fuller-Rowell et al., 2012). Restructuring the US economy has led to a deteriorating earning power and raised unemployment rates. It has led to a decrease in the number of manufacturing jobs for several Latino and African American workers (Howell and Timberlake, 2014). Economic decline in the blue-collar jobs has made the working class vulnerable to economic changes, thereby increasing the rate of poverty. The diminishing social support for the poor with regards to public housing, welfare and job training has also led to widespread poverty across the country. A higher rate of poverty among women is a result of their status both within the family and the job market. The family wage system, which shapes the wages in the US, is also a major cause for poverty.
As poverty impacts the lives of individuals, it leads to various consequences in the society. Poverty increases tensions among distinct racial groups and classes. Children belonging to poor families are likely to succeed in education as they encounter dire challenges due to poverty, which include lack of appropriate amenities, lack of adequate nutrition, deprivation, overcrowding and many others (Jargowsky et al., 2014). Sociologists believe that poverty is cumulative in nature. In other words, one aspect of poverty leads to further poverty, thereby building a vicious cycle of poverty, which makes it difficult for the poor to escape from poverty. Although poverty rates in the urban areas are higher when compared to rural areas, a substantive proportion of the Americans live in rural America. Other adverse consequences associated with poverty are substance abuse, poor living conditions, prevalence of diseases and many others (Jargowsky et al., 2014). Poverty leads to the destabilization of a wealthy country.
Poverty impacts the health of individuals to a great extent. It decreases the life expectancy of individuals by impacting their physical as well as mental health. Poverty also leads to unfair treatment and social discrimination in the society. It contributes to anti-social behavior among individuals in the society. Sociologists believe that the countries with weaker governments and less-privileged civil rights are the ones to nurture terrorism. Poverty leads to political instability in the society as the poor are subject to less representation in political and public debates (Singh, 2015). This in turn impacts the social order and social values prevalent in the society and makes it harder for the poor to overcome the issue. In most of the societies, rural poverty is not visible as it occurs in isolated pockets, such as the Appalachia, American Indian reservations, the Mississippi Delta and many others (Howell and Timberlake, 2014).
The number of working poor has been increasing in the recent years due to low-paid jobs, which limits their eligibility for a variety of services. Although the US has succeeded in lifting poverty among the elderly, the rate of poverty among the children is still persistent. Poverty among women leads to low birth weight of the infants, thereby placing them at a higher risk for physical and cognitive problems (Singh, 2015). Furthermore, the prevalence of chronic diseases, such as the heart disease, cancers, diabetes and many others are higher among the poor when compared to the general populations. Poverty-stricken societies lack motivation and fail to grab the opportunities in the job sector, which results in low-income neighborhoods. Some of the social characteristics associated with poverty are frequent violence, abandonment of the elderly and the children, domestic violence, gregariousness, lack of privacy and many others (Singh, 2015).
On the other hand, critics argue that poverty is an essential function of the society. The poor subsidize the affluent class by saving them in the form of domestic servants and regressive taxes. Furthermore, the poor are responsible for the social viability of various institutions through fund raising and other philanthropic activities (Teotia, 2016). The poor are also responsible for absorbing the political and economic costs of growth and change in the American society. Poverty not only satisfies several functions, but also provides alternatives to distinct functions, which are otherwise dysfunctional for the affluent classes (Teotia, 2016). Poverty is pervasive in nature and impacts the American values of equality, liberty and justice. It restructures the society by transforming the living conditions of individuals, thereby affecting the economic and social justice of the society.
The eradication of poverty is one of the greatest challenges across the world. It is the role of the government to improve the access for the poor to sustainable environments and livelihoods. The government and non-governmental organizations should look towards offering universal access to fundamental social services (Teotia, 2016). The government should take the responsibility of empowering the poor by developing social security systems and offering productive resources. It is equally important to eliminate poverty among women as it in turn proves beneficial for children. The government should look towards help from international organizations, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (Teotia, 2016). Since poverty is multidimensional and exists in both regional as well as national domains, the local governments should team up with the federal government to offer help to the poor communities and societies. The government should extend various social and economic benefits to the poor classes and enhance their living conditions.
References
Fuller-Rowell, T. E., Evans, G. W., & Ong, A. D. (2012). Poverty and Health: The Mediating Role of Perceived Discrimination. Psychological Science.
Howell, A. J., & Timberlake, J. M. (2014). Racial and ethnic trends in the suburbanization of poverty in US metropolitan areas, 1980–2010. Journal of Urban Affairs, 36(1), 79-98.
Jargowsky, P., Rog, D. J., & Henderson, K. A. (2014). Suburban Poverty and Racial Segregation.
Singh, A. (2015). Globalization and increasing inequality of poverty in United States over the past decade. In 27th Annual Meeting. Sase.
Teotia, M. K. (2016). Globalization of Slums, Houselessness and Urban Poverty: Emerging Issues and Options. In Third ISA Forum of Sociology. Isaconf.
