Sullivan, Thomas (2003). Introduction to Social Problems. Poverty. Chap. 5

I. What is poverty?: 3 definitions:

A. Absolute: fixed level; not rise with a society’s wealth. 1. Mollie Orshansky: $ necessary for nutritionally adequate diet x 3 in 1960s. Today, housing more $, so should be 5 x food budget

B. Relative standard: e.g.15% with lowest income or families with 1/3 median family income.

C. Cultural Definition: Considers why people are poor. As opposed to students, this

definition considers those who are permanently and unwillingly poor to be in poverty.

II. How many people are in poverty in the United States?

A. 2000, nonfarm fam 4<$17463: 31 million@1 in 8: pov rate 11.3% aft 1980 up to 13-15 %, now = 11-12 % in 1970s, & < avg 1960s Cutoff @35 % med fam income (54 % 1960s).

III. Are the poor getting poorer and the rich richer? Yes, in last 30 years:

A. In 2000, top 20 % get 49.6 % of income (up from around 41% in 1965 and 1980)

B. In 2000, bottom 20 % get 3.6% of income (above 5% in 1965, 1980).

C. Top 20 % of U.S. households have 80% of total wealth (Wolff 1995)

D. In past three decades, only increase in top 20% in share of income.

E. people in poverty for longer period today (more chronic)

IV. Does the United States have more poverty than other Nations?

A. In Nations such as Haiti and Guatemala, as many as 65 % of the people live in absolute poverty. Among developed nations, U.S. less than England, but more than Canada, Australia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

V. Is the U.S. more unequal than other Nations?

A. In < dev eg Paraguay, Zimbabwe, Brazil, and South Africa wealthiest 20% have 60% or more of the family income, whereas the poorest 20% get only 2% in Brazil and Paraguay.

B. In only 3 of the 20 wealthiest nations do the top 20 % of famlies receive as large a share of income as in the U.S.: top 1% have 40% of wealth (in Britain 1% have 18%).

VI. With regard to Race, Age, Gender, and other Characteristics, who is likely to be poor?

A. 2/3 are white (2000--68%)

B. Yet 22% of blacks, 21% or Hispanics, 23% of American Indians, 11% of Asian-American families, are below the poverty level compared to 7.5% of whites.

C. 27% of poor are under age 18; @ ½ live in single-parent fam head by women 1999

D. maj reason for > poverty among children is changes in fam structure in the US: higher divorce rates, > children born to unmarried women, >female-headed families

E. In 1999, @half of children living in female-head household are poor (many times rate for children in 2-parent households).

F. Teenage pregnancy higher in U.S. than other industrial countries--thus parents younger

G. Basically the family has gotten smaller due to divorce, the decline of extended families, and increasing childbearing among single women, resulting in the feminization of poverty.

H. 1/5 of the poor are too physically disabled to work. Another 8% are part disabled

I. Approximately 59% of poor families had a head of the house who earned wages

22% of these work full-time year-round. (U.S. Bureau of Census 2000)

J. Only 1/3 fams get cash assist&1/4 get no noncash benefit eg food stamps/ medicare

K. 45% householder in poor fams not work, but 1/2 of these are ill, disabled, retired, or looked work but not find it (Census 2000) Another 32 % not working due to chilodreearing etc.

L. The official unemployment rate in 1999 was 4.2%, which means 5.8 million people were looking for work who could not find it.

VII. What are the Causes of Poverty?

A. Functionalist argument: Davis and Moore (1945) argument.

B. Conflict perspective: privileged use power/legitimation to maintain privileges: people gain desirible positions in the stratification system through coercian, exploitation, and possiblity inheritance.

1. Tax loopholes,

2. children of affluent have better access to good education.

3. Growing up poor has devastating consequences for children in terms of academic success, emotional distress, cognitive development, and physical health--all making upward social mobility for poor children a difficult challenge (Duncan and Brooks-Gunn 1997).

C. The interactionist Perspective and Cultural Analysis

focuses on the values, attitudes, and pscyhological orientations: Oscar Lewis (1966) Culture of poverty. Cultural orientation that emphasizes fatalism and powerlessness. William J. Wilson (1991) has suggested that joblessness contributes to this cultural orientation by leaving epople with a generl sense that they are uanble to achiaeve goals that they might set for themslves. Cultrual analysis has been critized becasue it seems to blame the victim. This is not the point. Rather it argues that cetain social conditions--discrimination, lack of opportunity, social isolation--can produce culture of poverty .

VIII. What are the structural sources of Entrenched Poverty (underclass) according to Applied Research?

A. Transition from a product-based manufacturing economy to an infromation-based service eoncomy. The entrenched poor are without skills or work experience useful in the latter type of economy.

B. Particular employers have abandoned the inner city

C. The role models remaining are more commonly those who do not work, who commit crimes, or who take durges.

D. Should focus on programs to provide people with the educ and skills to find good jobs

IX. How successful have various goverment programs been?

1. Head Start

2. Jobs programs sucha as WIN, CETA, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)