Everyone deserves the chance to live a fulfilling life, but that’s not possible for many of us. Poverty is one of the biggest problems affecting people throughout the world today. Poverty comes in different forms and degrees; however, its effects on society are largely negative. Poverty can be defined as “the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money” ( Poverty , n. d. ). Poverty is not just an issue in third world countries, it’s also something that affects children and families in the United States (Dolbeare & Edelman, 2000).
Child poverty has been increasing since the late 1990s. There are currently 15 million American children who live below the federal poverty level—children defined as those under age 18 living with two parents and/or a single mother. Many people see and treat child poverty as someone else’s problem; however there are things we can do to help those in need today. Poverty should be recognized as a nationwide crisis that requires government action to fix it. Poverty causes an array of problems such as hunger, homelessness, crime, and violence ( Poverty , n. d. ).
Poverty has become a cycle that is tough to break out of; it’s linked with negative health effects like obesity, malnutrition, and mental distress ( Poverty , n. d. ). Poverty also reduces the chances of children attending college—hitting them with the “American Dream” early on in life ( Poverty , 2014). Poverty can even reduce life expectancy rates for adults. Child poverty is more than just an issue affecting families; there are many social issues associated with child poverty such as high dropout rates, crime rates, teenage pregnancies, drug use, and homelessness ( Poverty , n. . ).
Many of these issues affect society today because they stem from or are worsened by poverty. Poverty costs taxpayers a lot of money, which means that if it’s not addressed, the problem is only going to get worse. Poverty is a serious issue that needs to be solved so children can have a chance at living a fulfilling life and families can have the opportunities they need to survive. Poverty is everyone’s problem today, so we should all take an active role in helping our neighbors in need and making society better for future generations.
Poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions (dictionary.com). Poverty can be especially harmful to children, because it limits their access to things that are necessary for their development . Poverty is an ongoing issue in North America and elsewhere, but there are many ways we can reduce this unfortunate situation.
One way poverty affects children is by limiting their opportunities for education. Poverty leads to high levels of stress, which makes it difficult for parents to focus on ensuring their child gets a proper education. Children who come from poor families are less likely to complete school than those whose parents have higher incomes . This is worsened by the fact that many communities with high levels of poverty lack the financial resources to adequately fund their schools.
Poverty also makes it more difficult for children to have the supplies they need to succeed in school, such as notebooks and pencils. This is not an issue only at the elementary level; university students whose parents are poor are much less likely to graduate than those whose parents have higher incomes. Poverty can limit opportunities for education by inflicting psychological stress on parents, by making it difficult for children to have all the materials they need to study, and by limiting access to educational institutions.
Poverty limits opportunities for education in another way as well–by making it harder for families to afford tutoring or other academic enrichment . These are often expensive services that poorer parents cannot afford, and this limits the amount of development their children can experience. Poverty often limits opportunities for education by making it difficult for students to afford services such as tutoring and academic enrichment programs.
Poverty also impacts education by limiting children’s access to schools with good reputations. Poverty makes it harder for families to move into wealthy neighborhoods with better schools . It is hypothesized that school quality is one of the biggest factors in a child’s chances of success later in life, so not having this advantage as a child is very harmful . Poverty greatly limits educational opportunities by making it harder for students to attend high-quality schools.
Poverty has many negative consequences on education because it can cause stress among family members and parents, it makes it difficult for students to have access to adequate supplies, tutoring services, and quality schools. Poverty has a significant impact on education by limiting the opportunities of students in each of these areas. Poverty’s negative effects on children’s educational experiences must be addressed so that all children can get the best possible start in life.
Poverty is losing hope. Poverty is death. Just take a look at (a few links to relevant statistics). Poverty affects well over 1 billion people worldwide. Many of the poor are women and girls, who suffer disproportionately from malnutrition, lack of education, and chronic poverty. More than 100 million children live in extreme poverty—less than $1 per day—and around 15 million don’t even go to primary school!
Almost half the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day. With so many people living in conditions no human being should have to endure, it should be easy for us all to agree that something needs to change—we need to work together as human beings with a shared goal of building a better future for everybody. Poverty is the most solvable problem in the world today. The effects a lack of money has on people’s lives are life-damaging and long-lasting.
Poverty shaming, which usually comes from individuals who have never been poor themselves or experienced what it feels like to have no money, only sets back the fight against poverty by placing blame on individuals rather than focusing attention on creating positive change. Poverty is created by policy decisions, not poor people’s behavior. Poverty isn’t just about food and shelter—it also includes powerlessness in the face of institutions that make all the decisions for us while we play no role at all.
Poverty can be alleviated with collective action, solutions aimed at a fairer economic system, a restructuring of taxation and a commitment to long-term development. Poverty is not inevitable, but it will take a lot of hard work and time to solve this problem, and we need everyone to come together, as equals with shared goals, united in compassion for those living in poverty now.
Poverty is solvable, the only way to end poverty is to fight against its causes by creating sustainable income opportunities worldwide using microlending . Poverty is not natural—it’s man-made and can be solved by humans. Poverty isn’t just about money—it’s also the crippling powerlessness people experience because of their lack of money and resources. Poverty needs all our attention if we want it solved before another generation has grown up under these terrible conditions.