poverty thesis sentence

7 Essays About Poverty: Example Essays and Prompts

Essays about poverty give valuable insight into the economic situation that we share globally. Read our guide with poverty essay examples and prompts for your paper.

In the US, the official poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5 percent, with 37.9 million people living below the poverty line. With a global pandemic, cost of living crisis, and climate change on the rise, we’ve seen poverty increase due to various factors. As many of us face adversity daily, we can look to essays about poverty from some of the world’s greatest speakers for inspiration and guidance.

There is nothing but a lack of social vision to prevent us from paying an adequate wage to every American citizen whether he be a hospital worker, laundry worker, maid or day laborer. There is nothing except shortsightedness to prevent us from guaranteeing an annual minimum—and livable—income for every American family. Martin Luther King Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?

Writing a poverty essay can be challenging due to the many factors contributing to poverty and the knock-on effects of living below the poverty line . For example, homelessness among low-income individuals stems from many different causes.

It’s important to note that poverty exists beyond the US, with many developing countries living in extreme poverty without access to essentials like clean water and housing. For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

Essays About Poverty: Top Examples

1. pensioner poverty: fear of rise over decades as uk under-40s wealth falls, 2. the surprising poverty levels across the u.s., 3. why poverty persists in america, 4. post-pandemic poverty is rising in america’s suburbs.

5. The Basic Facts About Children in Poverty
6. The State of America’s Children
7. COVID-19: This is how many Americans now live below the poverty line

10 Poverty Essay Topics

1. the causes of poverty, 2. the negative effects of poverty, 3. how countries can reduce poverty rates, 4. the basic necessities and poverty, 5. how disabilities can lead to poverty, 6. how the cycle of poverty unfolds , 7. universal basic income and its relationship to poverty, 8. interview someone who has experience living in poverty, 9. the impact of the criminal justice system on poverty, 10. the different ways to create affordable housing.

There is growing concern about increasing pensioner poverty in the UK in the coming decades. Due to financial challenges like the cost of living crisis, rent increases, and the COVID-19 pandemic, under 40s have seen their finances shrink.

Osborne discusses the housing wealth gap in this article, where many under the 40s currently pay less in a pension due to rent prices. While this means they will have less pension available, they will also retire without owning a home, resulting in less personal wealth than previous generations. Osborne delves into the causes and gaps in wealth between generations in this in-depth essay.

“Those under-40s have already been identified as facing the biggest hit from rising mortgage rates , and last week a study by the financial advice firm Hargreaves Lansdown found that almost a third of 18- to 34-year-olds had stopped or cut back on their pension contributions in order to save money.” Hilary Osborne, The Guardian

In this 2023 essay, Jeremy Ney looks at the poverty levels across the US, stating that poverty has had the largest one-year increase in history. According to the most recent census, child poverty has more than doubled from 2021 to 2022.

Ney states that the expiration of government support and inflation has created new financial challenges for US families. With the increased cost of living and essential items like food and housing sharply increasing, more and more families have fallen below the poverty line. Throughout this essay, Ney displays statistics and data showing the wealth changes across states, ethnic groups, and households.

“Poverty in America reflects the inequality that plagues U.S. households. While certain regions have endured this pain much more than others, this new rising trend may spell ongoing challenges for even more communities.” Jeremy Ney, TIME

Essays About Poverty: How countries can reduce poverty rates?

In this New York Times article, a Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist explores why poverty exists in North America.

The American poor have access to cheap, mass-produced goods, as every American does. But that doesn’t mean they can access what matters most. Matthew Desmond, The New York Times

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its annual data on poverty, revealing contrasting trends for 2022. While one set of findings indicated that the overall number of Americans living in poverty remained stable compared to the previous two years, another survey highlighted a concerning increase in child poverty. The rate of child poverty in the U.S. doubled from 2021 to 2022, a spike attributed mainly to the cessation of the expanded child tax credit following the pandemic. These varied outcomes underscore the Census Bureau’s multifaceted methods to measure poverty.

“The nation’s suburbs accounted for the majority of increases in the poor population following the onset of the pandemic” Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube, Brookings

5. The Basic Facts About Children in Poverty

Nearly 11 million children are living in poverty in America. This essay explores ow the crisis reached this point—and what steps must be taken to solve it.

“In America, nearly 11 million children are poor. That’s 1 in 7 kids, who make up almost one-third of all people living in poverty in this country.” Areeba Haider, Center for American Progress

6. The State of America’s Children

This essay articles how, despite advancements, children continue to be the most impoverished demographic in the U.S., with particular subgroups — such as children of color, those under five, offspring of single mothers, and children residing in the South — facing the most severe poverty levels.

“Growing up in poverty has wide-ranging, sometimes lifelong, effects on children, putting them at a much higher risk of experiencing behavioral, social, emotional, and health challenges. Childhood poverty also plays an instrumental role in impairing a child’s ability and capacity to learn, build skills, and succeed academically.” Children’s Defense Fund

7. COVID-19: This is how many Americans now live below the poverty line

This essay explores how the economic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic 2020 led to a surge in U.S. poverty rates, with unemployment figures reaching unprecedented heights. The writer provides data confirming that individuals at the lowest economic strata bore the brunt of these challenges, indicating that the recession might have exacerbated income disparities, further widening the chasm between the affluent and the underprivileged.

“Poverty in the U.S. increased in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic hammered the economy and unemployment soared. Those at the bottom of the economic ladder were hit hardest, new figures confirm, suggesting that the recession may have widened the gap between the rich and the poor.” Elena Delavega, World Econmic Forum

If you’re tasked with writing an essay about poverty, consider using the below topics. They offer pointers for outlining and planning an essay about this challenging topic.

One of the most specific poverty essay topics to address involves the causes of poverty. You can craft an essay to examine the most common causes of extreme poverty. Here are a few topics you might want to include:

Racial discrimination, particularly among African Americans, has been a common cause of poverty throughout American history. Discrimination and racism can make it hard for people to get the education they need, making it nearly impossible to get a job.
A lack of access to adequate health care can also lead to poverty. When people do not have access to healthcare, they are more likely to get sick. This could make it hard for them to go to work while also leading to major medical bills.
Inadequate food and water can lead to poverty as well. If people’s basic needs aren’t met, they focus on finding food and water instead of getting an education they can use to find a better job.

These are just a few of the most common causes of poverty you might want to highlight in your essay. These topics could help people see why some people are more likely to become impoverished than others. You might also be interested in these essays about poverty .

Poverty affects everyone, and the impacts of an impoverished lifestyle are very real. Furthermore, the disparities when comparing adult poverty to child poverty are also significant. This opens the doors to multiple possible essay topics. Here are a few points to include:

When children live in poverty, their development is stunted. For example, they might not be able to get to school on time due to a lack of transportation, making it hard for them to keep up with their peers. Child poverty also leads to malnutrition, which can stunt their development.
Poverty can impact familial relationships as well. For example, members of the same family could fight for limited resources, making it hard for family members to bond. In addition, malnutrition can stunt the growth of children.
As a side effect of poverty, people have difficulty finding a safe place to live. This creates a challenging environment for everyone involved, and it is even harder for children to grow and develop.
When poverty leads to homelessness, it is hard for someone to get a job. They don’t have an address to use for physical communication, which leads to employment concerns.

These are just a few of the many side effects of poverty. Of course, these impacts are felt by people across the board, but it is not unusual for children to feel the effects of poverty that much more. You might also be interested in these essays about unemployment .

Different countries take different approaches to reduce the number of people living in poverty

The issue of poverty is a major human rights concern, and many countries explore poverty reduction strategies to improve people’s quality of life. You might want to examine different strategies that different countries are taking while also suggesting how some countries can do more. A few ways to write this essay include:

Explore the poverty level in America, comparing it to the poverty level of a European country. Then, explore why different countries take different strategies.
Compare the minimum wage in one state, such as New York, to the minimum wage in another state, such as Alabama. Why is it higher in one state? What does raising the minimum wage do to the cost of living?
Highlight a few advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations actively lobbying their governments to do more for low-income families. Then, talk about why some efforts are more successful than others.

Different countries take different approaches to reduce the number of people living in poverty. Poverty within each country is such a broad topic that you could write a different essay on how poverty could be decreased within the country. For more, check out our list of simple essays topics for intermediate writers .

You could also write an essay on the necessities people need to survive. You could take a look at information published by the United Nations , which focuses on getting people out of the cycle of poverty across the globe. The social problem of poverty can be addressed by giving people the necessities they need to survive, particularly in rural areas. Here are some of the areas you might want to include:

Affordable housing
Fresh, healthy food and clean water
Access to an affordable education
Access to affordable healthcare

Giving everyone these necessities could significantly improve their well-being and get people out of absolute poverty. You might even want to talk about whether these necessities vary depending on where someone is living.

There are a lot of medical and social issues that contribute to poverty, and you could write about how disabilities contribute to poverty. This is one of the most important essay topics because people could be disabled through no fault of their own. Some of the issues you might want to address in this essay include:

Talk about the road someone faces if they become disabled while serving overseas. What is it like for people to apply for benefits through the Veterans’ Administration?
Discuss what happens if someone becomes disabled while at work. What is it like for someone to pursue disability benefits if they are hurt doing a blue-collar job instead of a desk job?
Research and discuss the experiences of disabled people and how their disability impacts their financial situation.

People who are disabled need to have money to survive for many reasons, such as the inability to work, limitations at home, and medical expenses. A lack of money, in this situation, can lead to a dangerous cycle that can make it hard for someone to be financially stable and live a comfortable lifestyle.

Many people talk about the cycle of poverty, yet many aren’t entirely sure what this means or what it entails. A few key points you should address in this essay include:

When someone is born into poverty, income inequality can make it hard to get an education.
A lack of education makes it hard for someone to get into a good school, which gives them the foundation they need to compete for a good job.
A lack of money can make it hard for someone to afford college, even if they get into a good school.
Without attending a good college, it can be hard for someone to get a good job. This makes it hard for someone to support themselves or their families.
Without a good paycheck, it is nearly impossible for someone to keep their children out of poverty, limiting upward mobility into the middle class.

The problem of poverty is a positive feedback loop. It can be nearly impossible for those who live this every day to escape. Therefore, you might want to explore a few initiatives that could break the cycle of world poverty and explore other measures that could break this feedback loop.

Many business people and politicians have floated the idea of a universal basic income to give people the basic resources they need to survive. While this hasn’t gotten a lot of serious traction, you could write an essay to shed light on this idea. A few points to hit on include:

What does a universal basic income mean, and how is it distributed?
Some people are concerned about the impact this would have on taxes. How would this be paid for?
What is the minimum amount of money someone would need to stay out of poverty? Is it different in different areas?
What are a few of the biggest reasons major world governments haven’t passed this?

This is one of the best essay examples because it gives you a lot of room to be creative. However, there hasn’t been a concrete structure for implementing this plan, so you might want to afford one.

Another interesting topic you might want to explore is interviewing someone living in poverty or who has been impoverished. While you can talk about statistics all day, they won’t be as powerful as interviewing someone who has lived that life. A few questions you might want to ask during your interview include:

What was it like growing up?
How has living in poverty made it hard for you to get a job?
What do you feel people misunderstand about those who live in poverty?
When you need to find a meal, do you have a place you go to? Or is it somewhere different every day?
What do you think is the main contributor to people living in poverty?

Remember that you can also craft different questions depending on your responses. You might want to let the interviewee read the essay when you are done to ensure all the information is accurate and correct.

The criminal justice system and poverty tend to go hand in hand. People with criminal records are more likely to be impoverished for several reasons. You might want to write an essay that hits on some of these points:

Discuss the discriminatory practices of the criminal justice system both as they relate to socioeconomic status and as they relate to race.
Explore just how hard it is for someone to get a job if they have a criminal record. Discuss how this might contribute to a life of poverty.
Dive into how this creates a positive feedback loop. For example, when someone cannot get a job due to a criminal record, they might have to steal to survive, which worsens the issue.
Review what the criminal justice system might be like for someone with resources when compared to someone who cannot afford to hire expert witnesses or pay for a good attorney.

You might want to include a few examples of disparate sentences for people in different socioeconomic situations to back up your points.

The different ways to create affordable housing

Affordable housing can make a major difference when someone is trying to escape poverty

Many poverty-related problems could be reduced if people had access to affordable housing. While the cost of housing has increased dramatically in the United States , some initiatives exist to create affordable housing. Here are a few points to include:

Talk about public programs that offer affordable housing to people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Discuss private programs, such as Habitat for Humanity , doing similar things.
Review the positive impacts that stable housing has on both adults and children.
Dive into other measures local and federal governments could take to provide more affordable housing for people.

There are a lot of political and social angles to address with this essay, so you might want to consider spreading this out across multiple papers. Affordable housing can make a major difference when trying to escape poverty. If you want to learn more, check out our essay writing tips !

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Poverty Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on poverty essay.

“Poverty is the worst form of violence”. – Mahatma Gandhi.

How Poverty is Measured?

For measuring poverty United nations have devised two measures of poverty – Absolute & relative poverty. Absolute poverty is used to measure poverty in developing countries like India. Relative poverty is used to measure poverty in developed countries like the USA. In absolute poverty, a line based on the minimum level of income has been created & is called a poverty line. If per day income of a family is below this level, then it is poor or below the poverty line. If per day income of a family is above this level, then it is non-poor or above the poverty line. In India, the new poverty line is Rs 32 in rural areas and Rs 47 in urban areas.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Causes of Poverty

According to the Noble prize winner South African leader, Nelson Mandela – “Poverty is not natural, it is manmade”. The above statement is true as the causes of poverty are generally man-made. There are various causes of poverty but the most important is population. Rising population is putting the burden on the resources & budget of countries. Governments are finding difficult to provide food, shelter & employment to the rising population.

The other causes are- lack of education, war, natural disaster, lack of employment, lack of infrastructure, political instability, etc. For instance- lack of employment opportunities makes a person jobless & he is not able to earn enough to fulfill the basic necessities of his family & becomes poor. Lack of education compels a person for less paying jobs & it makes him poorer. Lack of infrastructure means there are no industries, banks, etc. in a country resulting in lack of employment opportunities. Natural disasters like flood, earthquake also contribute to poverty.

In some countries, especially African countries like Somalia, a long period of civil war has made poverty widespread. This is because all the resources & money is being spent in war instead of public welfare. Countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. are prone to natural disasters like cyclone, etc. These disasters occur every year causing poverty to rise.

Ill Effects of Poverty

Poverty affects the life of a poor family. A poor person is not able to take proper food & nutrition &his capacity to work reduces. Reduced capacity to work further reduces his income, making him poorer. Children from poor family never get proper schooling & proper nutrition. They have to work to support their family & this destroys their childhood. Some of them may also involve in crimes like theft, murder, robbery, etc. A poor person remains uneducated & is forced to live under unhygienic conditions in slums. There are no proper sanitation & drinking water facility in slums & he falls ill often & his health deteriorates. A poor person generally dies an early death. So, all social evils are related to poverty.

Government Schemes to Remove Poverty

The government of India also took several measures to eradicate poverty from India. Some of them are – creating employment opportunities , controlling population, etc. In India, about 60% of the population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. Government has taken certain measures to promote agriculture in India. The government constructed certain dams & canals in our country to provide easy availability of water for irrigation. Government has also taken steps for the cheap availability of seeds & farming equipment to promote agriculture. Government is also promoting farming of cash crops like cotton, instead of food crops. In cities, the government is promoting industrialization to create more jobs. Government has also opened ‘Ration shops’. Other measures include providing free & compulsory education for children up to 14 years of age, scholarship to deserving students from a poor background, providing subsidized houses to poor people, etc.

Poverty is a social evil, we can also contribute to control it. For example- we can simply donate old clothes to poor people, we can also sponsor the education of a poor child or we can utilize our free time by teaching poor students. Remember before wasting food, somebody is still sleeping hungry.

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202 Poverty Essay Topics & Examples

Poverty is one of the most pressing global issues affecting millions of individuals. We want to share some intriguing poverty essay topics and research questions for you to choose the titles of your paper correctly. With the help of this collection, you can explore the intricate dimensions of poverty, its causes, consequences, and potential solutions. Have a look at our poverty topics to get a deeper understanding of poverty and its implications.

💸 TOP 10 Poverty Essay Topics

🏆 best poverty essay examples, 👍 catchy poverty research topics, 🧐 thought-provoking poverty topics, 🎓 interesting poverty essay topics, ❓ research questions about poverty.

Poverty as a Social Problem
Poverty: Causes and Solutions to Problem
Poverty Effects on an Individual
The Eliminating Poverty Strategies
How Access to Clean Water Influences the Problem of Poverty
Urbanization and Poverty in “Slumdog Millionaire” Film
Degrading Consequences of Poverty in “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck
Poverty and Theories of Its Causes Poverty in schools is a significant barrier to education that needs to be overcome to improve teaching and learning.
Relationship Between Poverty and Crime The paper makes the case and discusses inequality rather than poverty being the prime reason for people committing crimes.
Poverty Effects on Mental Health This paper examines the link between poverty and mental health, the literature findings on the topic, and proposes a potential solution.
Vicious Circle of Poverty In this essay, the author describes the problem of poverty, its causes and ways of optimizing the economy and increasing production efficiency.
Global Poverty and Nursing Intervention It is evident that poor health and poverty are closely linked. Community nurses who are conversant with the dynamics of the health of the poor can run successful health promotion initiatives.
The Poverty as an Ethical Issue Looking at poverty as an ethical issue, we have to consider the fact that there are people who control resource distribution, which then leads to wealth or poverty in a community.
Homelessness and Poverty in Developed and Developing Countries All states across the globe need to undertake all possible efforts to reduce the rates of poverty and homelessness.
Correlation Between Poverty and Juvenile Delinquency Crime significantly impacts the standard of life across the world, a case study of the United States reveals that crime has grown into a very expensive venture.
Poverty and Its Negative Impact on Society Poverty affects many people globally, experiencing poor living conditions, limited access to education, unemployment, poor infrastructure, malnutrition, and child labor.
The Orthodox and Alternative Poverty Explanations Comparison Poverty has over the years become a worldwide subject of concern for economies. This essay will explore two theories- the orthodox and the alternative theories to poverty.
The Government of Bangladesh: Corruption and Poverty This paper describes how constitutional, economic, educational, and legal reforms can eradicate absolute poverty and corruption in a developing country such as Bangladesh.
Empowerment and Poverty Reduction The objective of this essay will be to highlight the health issues caused by poverty and the strategies needed to change the situation of poor people through empowerment.
“What Is Poverty” by Dalrymple The purpose of this paper is to present Dalrymple point of view and analyze it by applying philosophical concepts.
How Poverty Impacts on Life Chances, Experiences and Opportunities for Young People The paper specifically dwells on the social exclusion, class, and labeling theories to place youth poverty in its social context.
Poverty and Inequality: Income and Wealth Inequality The Stanford Center of Poverty and Inequality does an in-depth job of finding causes and capturing statistics on poverty and inequality.
Effects of Poverty on Education in the USA Colleges It is clear that poverty affects not only the living standards and lifestyle of people but also the college education in the United States of America.
The Problem of Poverty in Art of Different Periods Artists have always been at the forefront of addressing social issues, by depicting them in their works and attempting to draw the attention of the public to sensitive topics.
How Does Poverty Affect Crime Rates? On the basis of this research question, the study could be organized and conducted to prove the following hypothesis – when poverty increases, crime rates increase as well.
Poverty from Functionalist and Rational Choice Perspectives Poverty is a persistent social phenomenon, which can be examined from both the functionalist and rational choice perspectives.
Child’s Development and Education: Negative Effects of Poverty Some adverse effects of poverty on a child’s development and education are poor performance academically, stagnant physical development, and behavioral issues.
Lessons Learned From the Poverty Simulation The main lesson learned from the poverty simulation is that poverty is far more serious than depicted in the media, which carelessly documents the numbers of poor people.
Effects of Divorce and Poverty in Families In the event of a divorce children are tremendously affected and in most cases attention is not given to them the way it should.
Poverty from Christian Perspective Christians perceive poverty differently than people without faith, noting the necessity for integrated support to help those in need.
The Ideal Society: Social Stratification and Poverty The paper argues social classes exist because of the variations in socioeconomic capacities in the world; however, an ideal society can eliminate them.
Poverty and Social Causation Hypothesis There are two identified approaches to poverty on cultural and individual levels as formulated by Turner and Lehning
Poverty Relation With Immigrants Poverty-related immigration is usually caused by population pressures; as the natural land becomes less productive due to the increased technology and industrial production.
Global Poverty and Human Development Poverty rates across the globe continue to be a major issue that could impair the progress of humanity as a whole.
Poverty from a Sociological Standpoint Poverty is a complex phenomenon, in which many explicit and implicit factors are involved. Some individuals tend not to perceive this phenomenon as critical.
Evaluating the “Expertness” of the Southern Law Poverty Center The Southern Law Poverty Center has garnered controversy for its list of so-called “hate groups” and how it spends its half-billion-dollar budget.
The Analysis of Henry George’s “Crime of Poverty” Reviewing Henry George’s Crime of Poverty, which was written in 1885, in its historical context can shed light on socio-political developments within the country.
Diana George’s Changing the Face of Poverty Book Diana George’s book, Changing the Face of Poverty, begins with a summary of several Thanksgiving commercials and catalogs.
Poverty: Behavioral, Structural, Political Factors The research paper will primarily argue that poverty is a problem caused by a combination of behavioral, structural, and political systems.
Love and Poverty in My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke The present paper includes a brief analysis of the poem ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ with a focus on imagery and figurative language.
Social Policy and Welfare – Poverty and Deprivation Poverty is a kind of deprivation where in usual needs that define the quality of life such as food, clothing, shelter and water are not given to people.
World Poverty as a Global Social Problem Poverty and the key methods helping to reduce it attract the attention of numerous researchers in different areas of expertise.
Poverty in the “LaLee’s Kin” Documentary In this paper, the author will analyse poverty as a social problem in the Mississippi Delta. The issue will be analysed from the perspective of the documentary “LaLee’s Kin”.
The Issue of World Poverty and Ways to Alleviate the Poverty in the World Poverty is defined as the state of deficiency of a certain amount of material wealth or money. World poverty figures have been rising since the second half of the 20th century.
The Issue of Poverty in Savannah, Georgia The paper addresses a serious issue that still affects Savannah, Georgia, and it is poverty. This problem influences both individuals and society.
Racial Discrimination and Poverty Racial discrimination and poverty have resulted in health disparities and low living standards among African Americans in the United States.
Poverty in Ghana: Reasons and Solution Strategy The analysis provided in the paper revealed some internal and external factors that deter better economic and human development in Ghana.
The Concept of Poverty This work is aimed at identifying the key aspects associated with poverty and its impact on the lives of people in different contexts.
Utilitarianism: Poverty Reduction Through Charity This paper shows that poverty levels can be reduced if wealthy individuals donate a part of their earnings, using the main principles of the utilitarian theory.
Poverty: Resilience and Intersectionality Theories This paper assesses the impact of poverty on adult life, looking at risk and protective factors and the impact of power and oppression on the experience of poverty.
Economic Inequality and Its Relationship to Poverty This research paper will discuss the problem of economic inequality and show how this concept relates to poverty.
Rutger Bregman’s Statement of Poverty The paper states that Bregman’s approach to poverty and the proposal of guaranteed regular income is more suitable for developing countries.
Global Poverty and Education Economic theories like liberalization, deregulation, and privatization were developed to address global poverty.
Wealth, Poverty, and Systems of Economic Class By examining wealth, poverty, and economic classes from the perspective of social justice, the socioeconomic inequalities persistent in society will become clear.
Poverty: Causes and Reduction Measures Poverty is a global disaster and that a large percentage of the population has insufficient income or material possessions to satisfy their basic needs.
Household Energy Use and Poverty In many developing countries, as well as among disadvantaged populations of the industrial states, the lack or absence of energy for household use is an everyday reality.
National Conversation about Poverty The success of every society is determined by values, cultural practices, and tendencies that can address the hurdles affecting its people.
Poverty in “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner Essay “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner evokes compassion and prompts individuals to think about social problems existing nowadays.
Poverty in “Serving in Florida” and “Dumpster Diving” “Serving in Florida” by Barbara Ehrenreich describes the harsh reality of living in poverty while concentrating on the pragmatic dimension of the issue
Poverty and Homelessness in Jackson, Mississippi This paper will review the statistics and information about poverty and homelessness in Jackson, MS. The community of Black Americans is suffering from poverty and homelessness.
Bullying in Poverty and Child Development Context The aim of the present paper is to investigate how Bullying, as a factor associated with poverty, affects child development.
Race, Poverty, and Incarceration in the United States The American justice system, in its current form, promotes disproportionally high incarceration rates among blacks and, to a lesser degree, Latinos from poor urban neighborhoods.
Global Issues of World Poverty: Reasons and Solutions The term ‘world poverty’ refers to poverty around the world and is not only limited to developing and under-developed nations.
Poverty, Faith, and Justice: ”Liberating God of Life” by Elizabeth Johnson “Liberating God of Life Context: Wretched Poverty” by Johnson constructs that the main goal of human beings is to combat structural violence toward the poor.
Marriage and Divorce: Poverty Among Divorced Women This paper aims at looking into the possible connection between divorce and poverty among women given that many women are employed and are financially independent.
Poverty and Homelessness in Canada Poverty and homelessness figure prominently in government policies and the aims of many social service organizations even in a country like Canada.
Poverty: “$2.00 a Day” Book by Edin and Schaefer In their book “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America,” Edin and Schaefer investigate problems that people who live in poverty face every day.
Can Marriage End Poverty? Marriages to some degree alleviate poverty, but not all marriages can do so. Only marriages build on sound principles can achieve such a feat.
How Poverty Affects Early Education? A number of people live in poor conditions. According to the researchers of the Department of Education in the United States, poverty influences academic performance in an adverse way.
Human Trafficking and Poverty Issues in Modern Society The problem of human trafficking affects people all over the world, which defines the need for a comprehensive approach to this issue from the criminology perspective.
Poverty, Its Social Context, and Solutions Understanding past and present poverty statistics is essential for developing effective policies to reduce the rate of poverty at the national level.
Poverty in 1930s Europe and in the 21st Century US The true face of poverty may be found in rural portions of the United States’ South and Southwest regions, where living standards have plummeted, and industries have yet to begin.
Christ’s Relationships with Wealth and Poverty This paper attempts to examine Christ’s relationships with wealth, money and poverty and provide an analysis of these relationships.
The Impact of Poverty on Children and Minority Groups The problem of poverty, not only among children but also among adults, has plagued this planet for a long time.
Poverty and Poor Health: Access to Healthcare Services Health disparities affecting ethnical and racial groups, as well as people with low income, operate through the social environments, access to healthcare services.
Carl Hart’s Talk on Racism, Poverty, and Drugs In his TED Talk, Carl Hart, a professor of neuroscience at Columbia University who studies drug addiction, exposes a relationship between racism, poverty, and drugs.
Poverty in Young and Middle Adulthood According to functionalism, poverty is a dysfunctional aspect of interrelated components, which is the result of improper structuring.
Poverty Elimination in Perspective Poverty is a subject that has been on the world’s development agenda since time immemorial. This essay explores the possibilities of eliminating the poverty menace.
The U.S. Education: Effect of Poverty Poverty effects on education would stretch to other aspects of life and this justifies that, poverty in United States not only affects social lifestyles but also college education.
India’s Policies to Tackle Poverty and Inequality This paper aims to identify potential policies in infrastructure and education and develop new options to deal with poverty and inequality in India.
Donald Trump’s Policies of Poverty and Human Rights One of the events related to an acute social issue of poverty in the United States involves the U.N. report on extreme U.S. poverty and human rights in the context of Donald Trump’s policies.
Brazil’ Poverty and Inequality Poverty in Brazil has been unresponsive to growth due to the challenges of eliminating inequality. The poverty eradication programs reduced the poverty rate.
Poverty: The Negative Effects on Children Poor children often do not have access to quality healthcare, so they are sicker and more likely to miss school. Poor children are less likely to have weather-appropriate clothes.
The Issue of the Poverty in the USA The most sustainable technique for poverty elimination in the United States is ensuring equitable resource distribution, education, and healthcare access.
Poverty and How This Problem Can Be Solved Poverty is one of the global social problems of our time, existing even in the countries of the first world despite the generally high standard of living of people.
Poverty: An Interplay of Social and Economic Psychology The paper demonstrates an interplay of social and economic psychology to scrutinize the poverty that has given rise to a paycheck-to-paycheck nation.
Refugees: Poverty, Hunger, Climate Change, and Violence Individuals struggling with poverty, hunger, climate change, and gender-based violence and persecution may consider fleeing to the United States.
The Extent of Poverty in the United States The paper states that the issue of poverty in the USA is induced by a butterfly effect, starting with widespread discrimination and lack of support.
Poverty in Puerto Rico and Eradication Measures Studying Puerto Rican poverty as a social problem is essential because it helps identify the causes, effects, and eradication measures in Puerto Rico and other nations.
The City of Atlanta, Georgia: Poverty and Homelessness This project goal is to address several issues in the community of the City of Atlanta. Georgia. The primary concern is the high rate of poverty and homelessness in the city.
Poverty and Homelessness Among African Americans Even though the U.S. is wealthy and prosperous by global measures, poverty has persisted in the area, with Blacks accounting for a larger share.
Human Trafficking and Poverty Discussion This paper synthesize information on human trafficking and poverty by providing an annotated bibliography of relevant sources.
Discussion of Poverty and Social Trends The advances and consequent demands on society grounded on social class and trends profoundly influence poverty levels.
Life of Humanity: Inequality, Poverty, and Tolerance The paper concerns the times in which humanity, and especially the American people, live, not forgetting about inequality, poverty, and tolerance.
Poverty in the US: “Down and Out in Paris and London” by Orwell The essay compares the era of George Orwell to the United States today based on the book “Down and Out in Paris and London” in terms of poverty.
Is It Possible to Reduce Poverty in the United States? Reducing poverty in the United States is possible if such areas as education, employment, and health care are properly examined and improved for the public’s good.
Poverty Among Seniors Age 65 and Above The social problem is the high poverty rate among older people aged 65 and above. Currently, there are millions of elderly who are living below the poverty line.
Chronic Poverty and Disability in the UK The country exhibits absolute poverty and many other social issues associated with under-developed states. The issue is resolvable through policy changes.
Social Issue of Poverty in America The paper states that poverty is not an individual’s fault but rather a direct result of social, economic, and political circumstances.
Poverty, Housing, and Community Benefits The community will benefit from affordable housing and business places, creating job opportunities for the residents and mentoring and apprenticeship.
The Uniqueness of the Extent of the Poverty Rate in America The United States ranked near the top regarding poverty and inequality, and compared to other developed countries, income and wealth disparity in the United States is high.
Globalization and Poverty: Trade Openness and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria Globalization can be defined as the process of interdependence on the global culture, economy, and population. It is brought about by cross-border trade.
Should People Be Ashamed of Poverty? People on welfare should not feel ashamed because the definition of poverty does not necessarily place them in the category of the poor.
Inequality and Poverty in the United States One of the most common myths is that the United States (US) is a meritocracy, where anyone can succeed if they maintain industriousness.
Poverty, Politics, and Profit as US Policy Issue Poverty remains one of the most intractable problems to deal with, both in the international community and in the United States.
Christian Perspective on Poverty Several Christian interpretations have different ideas about poverty and wealth. This paper aims to discuss the Christian perspective on poverty.
Poverty and Problematic Housing in California
Global Poverty and Factors of Influence
Poverty Causes and Solutions in Latin America
Gary Haugen’s Speech on Violence and Poverty
The Child Poverty Problem in Alabama
Poverty Among Blacks in America
Hard Questions About Living in Poverty or Slavery
Solving the Problem of Poverty in Mendocino County
Wealth and Poverty Sources in America
“Promises and Poverty”: Starbucks Conceals Poverty and Deterioration of the Environment
Global Poverty and Economic Globalization Relations
Poverty Prevalence and Causes in the United States
Policy Development to Overcome Child Poverty in the U.S.
Global Poverty: Tendencies, Causes and Impacts
Habitat for the Homeless: Poverty
The Problem of Poverty Among Children
African American Families in Poverty
Effects of Poverty on Health Care in the US and Afghanistan
Poverty Among Children from Immigrant Workers
“8 Million Have Slipped Into Poverty Since May as Federal Aid Has Dried Up” by Jason DeParle
Teenage Pregnancy After Exposure to Poverty: Causation and Communication
Poverty and Covid-19 in Developing Countries
Poverty and Mental Health Correlation
Poverty in America: Socio-Economic Inequality
Poverty and Its Effects Upon Special Populations
Global Poverty and Education Correlation
American Dream and Poverty in the United States
Changing the Face of Poverty
The Link Between Poverty and Criminal Behavior
The Cost of Saving: The Problem of Poverty
Sociological Issues About Social Class and Poverty, Race and Ethnicity, Gender
Speech on Mother Teresa: Poverty and Interiority in Mother Teresa
Federal Poverty, Welfare, and Unemployment Policies

🌶️ Hot Poverty Ideas to Write about

Attitudes to Poverty: Singer’s Arguments
Aid Agency Discussing Different Solutions to Poverty in Urban Areas
Is Debt Cancellation the Answer to World Poverty?
Reduction of Poverty in the Rural Areas Through ICT
Trade Effect on Environmentalism and Poverty
Gay and Poverty Marriage
“Combating Poverty in Latin America” by Robyn Eversole
Are MNCs Responsible for Poverty and Violence in Developing Nations?
“Globalization, Poverty and Inequality” by Kaplinsky
Poverty in America: Issue Analysis
Economic Development in LDCs and Eradication Absolute Poverty
Economic Development in LDCs and Sufficient Conditions to Eradicate Absolute Poverty
Poverty in New York City and Media Representation
Global Poverty, Inequality, and Mass Migration
Poverty and Inequality Reducing Policies in China
Poverty and Homelessness: Dimensions and Constructions
Henry George’s “Progress and Poverty” Book
Poverty Among the USA Citizens and Reduction Efforts
Standards of the Ethical Code: Children and Poverty
Grameen Banking System Alleviating Poverty
Child Poverty Assessment in Canada
Poverty and Welfare Policies in the United States
Poverty in “The Bottom Billion” by Paul Collier
Modern Slavery, Human Trafficking and Poverty
Poverty and Violence During the Mexican Revolution
Affordable Housing Programs in “Poverty in America”
School System: Poverty and Education
Poverty in “I Beat the Odds” by Oher and Yaegar
Inequality in Australia: Poverty Rates and Globalism
Immigrant Children and Poverty
Problem of World Poverty
Drug’s, Poverty’s and Beauty’s Effects on Health
Can Authorization Reduce Poverty Among Undocumented Immigrants?
Can Higher Employment Levels Bring Lower Poverty in the EU?
Are Private Transfers Poverty and Inequality Reducing?
Can Group-Based Credit Uphold Smallholder Farmers Productivity and Reduce Poverty in Africa?
Can Anti-Poverty Programs Improve Family Functioning and Enhance Children’s Well-Being?
Can Laziness Explain Poverty in America?
Are Social Exclusion and Poverty Measures Interrelated?
Can Increasing Smallholder Farm Size Broadly Reduce Rural Poverty in Zambia?
Can Crop Purchase Programs Reduce Poverty and Improve Welfare in Rural Communities?
Does Aid Availability Affect Effectiveness in Reducing Poverty?
Can Employer Credit Checks Create Poverty Traps?
Are the Poverty Effects of Trade Policies Invisible?
Can Foreign Aid Reduce Poverty?
Are Education Systems Modern as Well as Practical Enough to Eliminate Unemployment, and Thus Poverty?
Can High-Inequality Developing Countries Escape Absolute Poverty?
Are Inequality and Trade Liberalization Influences on Growth and Poverty?
Can Globalisation Realistically Solve World Poverty?
Are Urban Poverty and Undernutrition Growing?
Can Big Push Interventions Take Small-Scale Farmers Out of Poverty?
Can Civilian Disability Pensions Overcome the Poverty Issue?
Are Poverty Rates Underestimated in China?
Does Agriculture Help Poverty and Inequality Reduction?
Can Agricultural Households Farm Their Way Out of Poverty?
Are Income Poverty and Perceptions of Financial Difficulties Dynamically Interrelated?
Are Bangladesh’s Recent Gains in Poverty Reduction Different From the Past?
Can Cash Transfers Help Households Escape an Intergenerational Poverty Trap?
Are Remittances Helping Lower Poverty and Inequality Levels in Latin America?
Can Foreign Aid Reduce Income Inequality and Poverty?
Can Child-Care Subsidies Reduce Poverty?
Can Income Inequality Reduction Be Used as an Instrument for Poverty Reduction?

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These essay examples and topics on Poverty were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 8, 2024 .

Poverty - List of Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Poverty, a state of deprivation of basic human needs and economic opportunities, is a pervasive issue across the globe. Essays could explore the systemic causes of poverty, its impact on individuals and communities, and the various strategies employed to alleviate poverty. Additionally, discussions might delve into the role of international aid, the impact of globalization, and the ethical responsibilities of affluent individuals and nations toward poverty reduction. A substantial compilation of free essay instances related to Poverty you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Poverty and Drug Abuse Addiction

One popular stereotype associated with drug use is that it is rampant among the poor. However, this is not entirely true since insufficient money linked with the poor cannot probably sustain drug use. The link between the two factors is multifaceted, and the connectedness of poverty is complex. Poverty entails unstable family and interpersonal associations, low-skilled jobs and low status, high arrest degrees, illegitimacy, school dropping out, deprived physical health, high mental conditions, and high mortality rates. Such factors resemble […]

Changing the Face of Poverty Summary

In Changing the Face of Poverty the author, Diana George, begins with her annual food drive at St. Vincent de Paul, and every day she receives bills and catalogs with appeals like the Navajo Health Foundation, little Brothers, and many others. In those was Habitat for Humanity. As a member of this club, I know the duties and responsibility towards this organization. George states that Habitat for Humanity is not as helpful as it seems. She says that the organization […]

Racism in Criminal Justice System

Scott Woods once said, The problem is that white people see racism as conscious hate, when racism is bigger than that. Racism is a complex system of social and political levers and pulleys set up generations ago to continue working on the behalf of whites at other people's expense, whether whites know/like it or not. Racism is an insidious cultural disease. It is so insidious that it doesn't care if you are a white person who likes black people; it's […]

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Impact of Poverty on the Society

This is a very challenging question because nearly every ""pressing problem or social issue"" has underlying factors and historical influences. So I will try to explain my understanding of these topics. There are two important lenses from which to consider this issue; first, from the individual circumstance and second, from specific community conditions. The inability of individuals to earn enough money to afford to meet their basic needs and maintain a healthy lifestyle is, in my opinion, the most pressing […]

Poverty in the United States

Poverty is a major issue in our world today, it is when people are not able to afford a minimum standard of living to survive. Poverty is the removal of financial stability to afford necessities. Bill Fay, veteran journalist defined poverty as a pervasive human condition of being unable to obtain or provide a standard level of food, water, and shelter. In 2015, a study was done and reported that 60% of people will experience at least 1 year of […]

Unemployment a Major Cause of Homelessness

Homelessness or known as extreme poverty can be interpreted as a circumstance when people have no place to stay with the result that they end up live in the street, under the bridge even at the side of the river. There are 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year. Of these, more than 1 million are children and on any given night, more than 300,000 children are homeless. They who do not have an occupation are the one that is […]

Breaking the Poverty Trap

One of the reasons the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, is because of the lack of not knowing and ignorance hindering half the world, allowing the cycle of poverty to continue. Poverty trap is as a spiraling mechanism, that forces people to remain poor binding many to no hope of escaping. The poverty trap has been an ongoing cycle within generations even those close to me, that has tremendously taken a negative toll on society and my […]

Childhood Poverty

Abstract Poverty is viewed throughout the world as a large social problem that continues to advance with time. Since 1960, poverty has continued to flourish into a problem that has affected a large majority of the population, including our children. Childhood poverty affects the psychological and biological development, as well as three main levels of social systems: micro, mezzo and macro. Even though there has been active research on poverty, generational poverty and childhood poverty, no active changes have been […]

Homelessness in the United States

Homelessness is a social problem that has long plagued the United States and surrounding Countries for centuries. It is an economic and social problem that has affected people from all walks of life, including children, families, veterans, and the elderly. Kilgore (2018). States homelessness is believed to have affected an estimated amount of 2.5-3.5 million people each year in the United States alone. Recent evidence suggests economic conditions have increased the number of people affected by homelessness in the United […]

Poverty in Developing Countries

Introduction A. (Opening Device) How many of you ever had to think or worry about your next meal? Most of us, we don't have to think about that, we don't think about where we having that meal. But in developing countries people have to think about everything they do in daily life, The goal for the day is to have meal with family and have a shelter, or to live in a house to hope for better lifestyle. To make […]

Closing the Education Gap by Attacking Poverty Among Children

Looking around the campus of an Ivy League schools, one wonders how students from such diverse backgrounds ultimately wound up at the same place. From having a mother who works in admissions, I grew up hearing that no matter where you came from, your socioeconomic status, and even sometimes your grades, all kids have the potential to attend a prestigious university. However, I find that hard to believe. With a combination of taking this class on homelessness this semester, growing […]

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Introduction The three main objectives of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed in October 2010, include the following: reforming the private insurance market, mainly for individuals and small group purchasers; expanding Medicaid to the working poor, whose maximum income is around 33 percent of the federal poverty level; and altering the way medical decisions are made in the country (Silvers, 2013). These three objectives are primarily determined by private choices rather than government regulation, with the expectation that […]

Financial Education and Poverty

The most pressing social issue that has the most impact on the ability of people to be healthy and economically self-sufficient is financial education. For an individual or family unit to become economically viable, they must be educated in the proper uses of their income. An individual can be gainfully employed and still be in danger of becoming homeless. This occurs when this individual or familial unit exceeds their income through purchases that are not needed. As we approach the […]

The Poverty Among Us

In our current society, poverty is an issue that plagues third world nations. All countries are interwoven with one another because of everyone needing each other for certain resources. When one country is in need, it interrupts a process that all countries have with one another. Poverty is an issue that everyone should pay attention to even if it does not occur where we live or does not affect us directly as much as it does other nations. Not only […]

Effect of Rural-Urban Migation on the Poverty Status of Farming Households in Ogbomoso

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study Needless to say, poverty is a global problem; however, the menace of poverty is most devastating in the developing countries of the world. Food production has hardly kept pace with population size, and the quantity, as well as quality of health, has also massively deteriorated. According to the World Bank Development Report (2013), about 10.7 percent of the world's population lived below poverty line (US $1.90 a day). Poverty is one of […]

What is Poverty?

Poverty is a pervasive human condition of being unable to obtain or provide a standard level of food, water, and/or shelter (Fay, n.d.). The United States has the highest rate of poverty among wealthy countries. The official poverty line is based on what the federal government considers to be the minimum amount of money required for living at a subsistence level (Kendell, 2018). Sociologists define poverty in two ways: absolute and relative. Absolute poverty is when the household income is […]

Increasing Federal Minimum Wage

The magnitude of the impacts of federal minimum payments has been a typical topic of discussion for years. Economic policymakers and academic researchers base minimum wage discussions in the context of poverty and increasing the wages. However, critics argue that there are many adverse effects on small businesses and the general economy of the country. A rise in the nation payments will have impacts on the economy of the American states in which the increase in minimum wage law is […]

How Poverty Correlates with Non English Speaking American Families

How does poverty affect the people in the United states today? Poverty is currently affecting 16.3 percent of women, 13.8 of men, and 21 percent of all children in America. The highest poverty rate by race is found among Native Americans, which is 27.6 percent. African americans have 26.2 percent poverty and Hispanics having 23.4 percent. How do these families provide for their children and help them succeed if they can barely even pay the bills? Families all over the […]

Poverty and Crime

Poverty isn't the 'mother of crime.' However it is one noteworthy benefactor. Crime exists, since individuals need something they don't have, and are not willing to comply with the law(s) on the books to get it. What poverty does is, it decreases the things needy individuals have accessible to them, along these lines offering undeniably more things for needy individuals to want—and substantially more inspiration to them to carry out a crime to get it. Along these lines, more needy […]

Poverty in America

Poverty has been a ongoing, social issue that throughout the years has changed its meaning. Poverty is defined lacking basic necessities such as water, food, shelter, wealth, etc… About fifty years ago, war was declared on poverty by President Johnson hoping that it would end, but fast forward today, it is one of the biggest social issues America is dealing with. We don’t really know why poverty is still occurring, because the reasons seem to always be changing. The reasons […]

Poverty Life in the Industrial Age

Tenement Housing Tenement housing was cheap, unsanitary, and extremely crowded. They were placed by factories, so the air and water became very polluted and unsafe because of all the fumes and such from the factory. Most didn’t have indoor plumbing or proper ventilation which caused tons of health issues. At night the only light they had was from the streetlights so of course the only level of the housing that had light was the level that was level with the […]

Economic Inequality and Governmental Responsibility

Ever since the emergence of civilization several hundreds of years ago, social inequality has been a prevalent aspect of many societies across the world. This social structure developed as a result of several factors, amongst them political and economic status in the society. During the early stages of civilization, social and political status was closely related whereby the few powerful political leaders tended to be wealthier than the lesser politically influential majority. Although this dynamic is still prevalent in developing […]

Poverty and Homelessness in America

Poverty and Homelessness in America is a daunting subject which everyone recognizes but do not pay attention to. A homeless person is stereotypically thought to be a person who sleeps at the roadside, begging for money and influenced by drug with dirty ragged clothes and a person who is deprived of basic facilities in his or her life such as; education, electricity, proper clothes, shelter, water with a scarcity of balanced diet is termed as person living under the line […]

Poverty in Haiti: is there a Solution?

Abstract Haiti is a Latin American country that is often ignored. People do not hear much about it, except if a natural disaster such as the earthquake in 2010 happens. It was once the richest colony of the Caribbean and nowadays is known as the poorest country of the Western Hemisphere. Haiti has been facing a cycle of poverty since it became independent. Haiti’s location and deforestation have contributed to make the situation worse. More than half of the population […]

Causes of Poverty

Some causes of poverty in the United States are: unemployment, inflation, poor management of resources, government policies, debt, corruption, extreme weather, lack of control in local food, lack of access to education, mental illness ( lack of proper psychiatric care), diseases, automation, and overpopulation. Poverty is a pervasive human condition of being unable to obtain or provide a standard level of food, water and/or shelter. It exists in every country in varying degrees, and it is unlikely to disappear anytime […]

Affordable Housing Takes on Poverty

Without affordable housing there will be a continuous increase in minorities which also leads to a higher poverty rate. Poverty is the state of being extremely poor. Affordable housing helps decrease poverty in many ways than one. Affordable housing fulfills a human’s basic need for shelter as well as provides privacy for families. Those who receive affordable housing assistance and have children, benefit from better nutrition. Affordable housing would reduce poverty and should be available to those who are in […]

The Impacts of Neoliberalism in the Transition to Democracy in Chile

Compared to other developing countries in Latin America, Chile's political and economic development is distinctive. The country is one of the democratic exceptions, owing to its relatively poor and small population at the time of Spanish colonial rule. The indigenous population is also rather small, and the country has a high degree of ethnic and cultural homogeneity (Hillman and D’Agostino 2011, 67-107). However, today's regime wasn't always democratic. Between 1973 and 1990, Chile was under an authoritarian regime led by […]

Living in Poverty and being Rich

Poverty is such a simple word, but it is so complicated at the same time. The vast majority of individuals will not fully comprehend the real implication of poverty just by reading its literal meaning from the dictionary, but by learning from their surroundings and experiencing hardship itself. Defining poverty can be being poor financially but is also defined as a comfortable way of living as well as spiritually too. What does it mean actually to be poor? Most […]

Poverty and Obesity

It is a known fact that the individual exert influences on the environment and vice versa. However, no man is an Island and as such, these influences reflect through various levels of social and interpersonal relationships. The social environment of the individual include interaction with peers, friend and family members, through such mechanism as role modeling, social support and social norms (Mary, Karen, Ramona, Karen .Annu. Rev. Public Health 2008.Creating Healthy food and Eating Environments, para 2). The physical environment […]

A Problem Child Poverty and Effects on Education

“The impact of poverty on a child’s academic achievement is significant and starts early,” – Jonah Edelman, co-founder and chief executive officer of Stand for Children (Taylor, 2017). According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015, around 20 percent of children in the U.S. lived in poverty (Taylor, 2017). Rather than focusing all our time, attention, and resources on rewriting standards and adding higher stakes standardized tests, are we missing a larger looming issue? Studies have shown that student poverty […]

5 Essays About Poverty Everyone Should Know

Poverty is one of the driving forces of inequality in the world. Between 1990-2015, much progress was made. The number of people living on less than $1.90 went from 36% to 10%. However, according to the World Bank , the COVID-19 pandemic represents a serious problem that disproportionately impacts the poor. Research released in February of 2020 shows that by 2030, up to ⅔ of the “global extreme poor” will be living in conflict-affected and fragile economies. Poverty will remain a major human rights issue for decades to come. Here are five essays about the issue that everyone should know:

“We need an economic bill of rights” – Martin Luther King Jr.

The Guardian published an abridged version of this essay in 2018, which was originally released in Look magazine just after Dr. King was killed. In this piece, Dr. King explains why an economic bill of rights is necessary. He points out that while mass unemployment within the black community is a “social problem,” it’s a “depression” in the white community. An economic bill of rights would give a job to everyone who wants one and who can work. It would also give an income to those who can’t work. Dr. King affirms his commitment to non-violence. He’s fully aware that tensions are high. He quotes a spiritual, writing “timing is winding up.” Even while the nation progresses, poverty is getting worse.

This essay was reprinted and abridged in The Guardian in an arrangement with The Heirs to the Estate of Martin Luther King. Jr. The most visible representative of the Civil Rights Movement beginning in 1955, Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. His essays and speeches remain timely.

“How Poverty Can Follow Children Into Adulthood” – Priyanka Boghani

This article is from 2017, but it’s more relevant than ever because it was written when 2012 was the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. That’s no longer the case. In 2012, around ¼ American children were in poverty. Five years later, children were still more likely than adults to be poor. This is especially true for children of colour. Consequences of poverty include anxiety, hunger, and homelessness. This essay also looks at the long-term consequences that come from growing up in poverty. A child can develop health problems that affect them in adulthood. Poverty can also harm a child’s brain development. Being aware of how poverty affects children and follows them into adulthood is essential as the world deals with the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Priyanka Boghani is a journalist at PBS Frontline. She focuses on U.S. foreign policy, humanitarian crises, and conflicts in the Middle East. She also assists in managing Frontline’s social accounts.

“5 Reasons COVID-19 Will Impact the Fight to End Extreme Poverty” – Leah Rodriguez

For decades, the UN has attempted to end extreme poverty. In the face of the novel coronavirus outbreak, new challenges threaten the fight against poverty. In this essay, Dr. Natalie Linos, a Harvard social epidemiologist, urges the world to have a “social conversation” about how the disease impacts poverty and inequality. If nothing is done, it’s unlikely that the UN will meet its Global Goals by 2030. Poverty and COVID-19 intersect in five key ways. For one, low-income people are more vulnerable to disease. They also don’t have equal access to healthcare or job stability. This piece provides a clear, concise summary of why this outbreak is especially concerning for the global poor.

Leah Rodriguez’s writing at Global Citizen focuses on women, girls, water, and sanitation. She’s also worked as a web producer and homepage editor for New York Magazine’s The Cut.

“Climate apartheid”: World’s poor to suffer most from disasters” – Al Jazeera and news Agencies

The consequences of climate change are well-known to experts like Philip Alston, the special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. In 2019, he submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council sounding the alarm on how climate change will devastate the poor. While the wealthy will be able to pay their way out of devastation, the poor will not. This will end up creating a “climate apartheid.” Alston states that if climate change isn’t addressed, it will undo the last five decades of progress in poverty education, as well as global health and development .

“Nickel and Dimed: On (not) getting by in America” – Barbara Ehrenreich

In this excerpt from her book Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich describes her experience choosing to live undercover as an “unskilled worker” in the US. She wanted to investigate the impact the 1996 welfare reform act had on the working poor. Released in 2001, the events take place between the spring of 1998 and the summer of 2000. Ehrenreich decided to live in a town close to her “real life” and finds a place to live and a job. She has her eyes opened to the challenges and “special costs” of being poor. In 2019, The Guardian ranked the book 13th on their list of 100 best books of the 21st century.

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of 21 books and an activist. She’s worked as an award-winning columnist and essayist.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

Writing Prompts about Poverty

🗃️ Essay topics
❓ Research questions
📝 Topic sentences
🪝 Essay hooks
📑 Thesis statements
🔀 Hypothesis examples
🧐 Personal statements

🔗 References

🗃️ essay topics on poverty.

The causes and consequences of poverty in developed countries.
The impact of poverty on child development and education.
Single mothers, poverty, and mental health issues.
The effectiveness of government policies and programs in reducing poverty.
The role of race, ethnicity, and gender in shaping experiences of poverty.
The intersection of poverty and mental health.
The impact of poverty on food insecurity and nutrition.
Racial inequality, poverty, and gentrification in Durham, North Carolina.
The relationship between poverty and crime.
The impact of poverty on access to healthcare.
The impact of globalization and economic inequality on poverty.
Peter Singer’s solution to world poverty analysis.
The role of education and skills training in poverty reduction.
The impact of poverty on family dynamics and relationships.
The role of community-based organizations in addressing poverty.
Review of causes of poverty problem.
The impact of poverty on housing insecurity and homelessness.
The relationship between poverty and environmental justice.
The impact of poverty on social mobility and economic opportunity.
The role of the private sector in addressing poverty and inequality.
The impact of poverty on rural communities.
The impact of poverty on immigrant communities.
The snap challenge: living in poverty.
The relationship between poverty and political participation.
The role of international aid and development in reducing poverty globally.

❓ Poverty Research Questions

How does poverty affect children’s health, education, and overall well-being, and what can be done to mitigate these effects?
How does poverty intersect with other forms of inequality, such as race, gender, and sexual orientation?
What are the unique challenges facing immigrants living in poverty, and what strategies can be employed to support these populations?
How does poverty affect mental health , and what interventions are most effective in addressing these challenges?
What are the primary causes of poverty, and how do they differ between developed and developing countries ?
How does poverty contribute to crime, and what strategies can be employed to reduce this connection?
How does poverty affect access to healthcare, and what can be done to ensure that individuals living in poverty receive adequate medical care?
What role does education and skills training play in reducing poverty, and what approaches are most effective?
How does poverty affect family dynamics, and what strategies can be employed to reduce the negative impact of poverty on families?
How do community-based organizations address poverty, and what are the most effective strategies for these organizations to employ?
What are the most effective strategies for addressing homelessness and housing insecurity among individuals living in poverty?
How does poverty impact social mobility and economic opportunity, and what can be done to address these challenges?
What role can the private sector play in addressing poverty and inequality, and what approaches are most effective?
How do international aid and development impact poverty reduction efforts in developing countries, and what approaches are most effective?
What are the most effective strategies for building economic resilience among communities experiencing or at risk of poverty?

📝 Topic Sentences on Poverty

Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, poverty continues to be a persistent problem in the United States.
Poverty has a profound impact on the mental and physical health of individuals, exacerbating existing health disparities and contributing to a cycle of disadvantage.
Addressing poverty requires a multifaceted approach that includes not only economic policies and programs but also social and cultural change at the community level.

🪝 Top Hooks for Poverty Paper

📍 statistical hooks for essay about poverty.

According to the latest data from the United Nations, nearly 10% of the world’s population, or roughly 734 million people, live in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $1.90 per day.
In the United States, poverty rates have remained stubbornly high over the past few decades, with nearly 34 million Americans, or 10.5% of the population, living below the poverty line as of 2019.

📍 Question Hooks on Poverty for Essay

How can we effectively address the root causes of poverty and break the cycle of disadvantage that perpetuates it?
What impact does poverty have on different aspects of society, from health and education to social mobility and political participation?

📍 Autobiography Hooks about Poverty for Essay

As someone who grew up in poverty, I know firsthand the challenges and barriers that individuals and families face in trying to break free from the cycle of disadvantage.
Growing up in a low-income community, I witnessed the ways in which poverty can impact every aspect of a person’s life, from access to education and healthcare to social and cultural opportunities.

📑 Best Poverty Thesis Statements

✔️ argumentative thesis examples on poverty.

Despite the widespread belief that poverty is a personal failing, evidence suggests that poverty is a systemic issue rooted in economic inequality, political disenfranchisement, and historical legacies of oppression that must be addressed through collective action and social change.
The stigmatization of poverty perpetuates harmful stereotypes and hinders progress toward reducing economic inequality, and society must shift toward a more empathetic and inclusive understanding of poverty in order to achieve meaningful change.

✔️ Analytical Thesis Samples on Poverty

An analysis of poverty in the United States reveals that systemic barriers such as lack of access to education, healthcare, and affordable housing contribute significantly to poverty rates, and policy solutions must address these root causes in order to be effective.
A comparative analysis of poverty in different regions and countries highlights the ways in which cultural, historical, and political factors interact with economic conditions to shape poverty outcomes, underscoring the importance of context-specific interventions in addressing poverty.

✔️ Informative Thesis about Poverty

Poverty is a multifaceted issue with various contributing factors, including economic, social, and political forces, that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
Child poverty is a pervasive and detrimental issue that has long-term consequences for individuals and society as a whole, including decreased educational attainment, poorer health outcomes, and reduced economic productivity.

🔀 Poverty Hypothesis Examples

Poverty is a root cause of social and economic inequality, and it perpetuates a cycle of disadvantage that makes it difficult for individuals and communities to break free from poverty.
Policies and programs aimed at reducing poverty, such as access to education, healthcare, and affordable housing, can have a positive impact on individuals and communities by improving their standard of living and increasing their economic opportunities.

🔂 Null & Alternative Hypothesis on Poverty

Null hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between poverty and access to education, healthcare, and affordable housing.
Alternative hypothesis: There is a significant relationship between poverty and access to education, healthcare, and affordable housing, indicating that individuals and communities with greater access to these resources are less likely to experience poverty or its negative consequences.

🧐 Examples of Personal Statement about Poverty

Growing up in a low-income household, I witnessed firsthand the daily struggles and hardships that poverty can bring. It was a constant battle to make ends meet, and basic necessities such as food and shelter were often out of reach. However, it was through these experiences that I learned the value of resilience and determination. Today, as a college student, I am committed to using my education and experiences to raise awareness about poverty and work towards creating a more just and equitable society.
As someone who has personally experienced the challenges and difficulties of growing up in poverty, I am passionate about raising awareness and advocating for policies and programs that can help alleviate this social issue. My personal experiences have taught me the importance of community support and the need for greater access to resources such as education, healthcare, and affordable housing to break the cycle of poverty.
The climate implications of ending global poverty.
Poverty in America: trends and explanations.
Understanding poverty: causes, effects and characteristics.
Ending global poverty: why money isn’t enough?
Understanding the relationship between poverty, inequality and growth: a review of existing evidence.

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1 (page 1) p. 1 Introduction

Published: July 2018
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Poverty is a global issue. There are people in every country with a standard of living that is significantly lower than that of others. Nevertheless, the absolute number of people living in poverty has decreased since 1990, especially in the poorest countries in the world. Therefore, there is reason to hope that further poverty reduction can occur. The Introduction outlines the pervasiveness and trends in poverty around the world; the many different causes of poverty that embed themselves in social, political, economic, educational, and technological processes, which affect all of us from birth to death; and considers why poverty matters. Overall, the economy suffers if systematic public policy does not address poverty.

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236 Brilliant Homelessness Essay Topics & Free Paper Examples

Homelessness is a compound problem that consists of many different aspects and causes, and you want to discuss as many as possible in your essay on homelessness. Check our article to get homelessness essay topics and thesis ideas, research questions, and inspiration from free paper examples!

🌎 How to Write a Homelessness Essay

🏆 best homelessness topics & essay examples, 👍 good homeless essay topics, ⭐ simple & easy homelessness essay titles, 💡 interesting topics to write about homelessness, ✍️ homelessness essay topics for college, 📑 memorable research topics about homelessness, ❓ research questions about homelessness.

Some people encounter obstacles in their lives and end up on the streets while they try to find a new job and improve their livelihood. Others become homeless veterans, resigning to a life without a proper dwelling.

There are also rare people who choose a homeless lifestyle of their own volition due to personal beliefs. Such individuals may be better off than the rest, but they still warrant an inspection. Depending on the category you want to discuss, you will have to select an appropriate homelessness essay thesis.

You should discuss homelessness as a systemic issue that happens to a group of people. You may use individual cases as illustrations for some of your points, but anecdotal evidence is not sufficient for strong statements.

Statistics and scholarly articles are preferable sources, though you may use journalistic pieces to support a theoretical framework. If you do so, make sure that the articles maintain an objective tone and try to remain impartial instead of appealing to feelings.

Poor journalism is possibly even less trustworthy than the unsupervised websites your instructions may have warned you to avoid. Their use would damage the credibility of your essay and, therefore, its impact.

As can be seen from the above, the reasons why people may become homeless are an excellent topic for discussion. You can link the people who are temporarily homeless to the region’s economic performance or similar factors.

Additional research would be necessary to do so, including economic analyses and interviews with homeless people. Nevertheless, the discussion will show your insight and originality in linking different ideas to explain phenomena.

It will also demonstrate your knowledge of various economic and political topics and further your understanding of social factors. You can also use a discussion of the reasons why people may lose their homes as a homelessness essay hook to shift to their current situation.

On its own, homelessness may be viewed in a manner similar to that of unemployment, with some degree of it being unavoidable and necessary to power the real estate industry. However, when people remain without a residence for an extended period, their state becomes an issue and should be explored.

In your homelessness essay topics, you should discuss the reasons why homeless people may be unable to obtain a permanent home. Physical factors such as the inability to obtain a job or the high prices of housing are excellent examples.

Mental issues such as depression and other conditions also warrant discussion. You will be able to obtain a more complete overview of the issue by inspecting its various components.

Here are some additional tips for your essay:

The phenomenon of homelessness as it occurs on a societal level has been researched thoroughly. You may voice original ideas, but make sure that they are supported with strong evidence.
Try to differentiate between various categories of homeless people. Homogenizing them without considering their differences and attitudes may lead you to make mistaken assessments.
Try to consult historical data to identify periods when homelessness rose or fell and associate them with other events. You may discover effective or ineffective policy, economic growth and crises, or other ideas you can use.

Come to IvyPanda for homelessness essay titles and other helpful paper samples!

On How to Eradicate Homelessness The truth of the matter is that majority of the homeless are people with dreams, ambitions and desire to succeed. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, paucity has been the key […]
Homelessness and its Solutions This problem is caused by either inability to afford the costs of proper medication or as a result of the congestion within the concentration camps of the homeless.
Health Care for the Homeless According to Gent, people tend to dehumanize the people they see on the streets and respond to them as they would to objects, attempting to view them neutrally and seeing their need for help as […]
Homelessness in the US: Causes and Solutions Due to the income disparity, insufficient accommodations, and racial inequality, the homelessness crisis in the US has been exacerbated. To recommend the most appropriate and effective policies, the causes should be analyzed in detail.
Tell Them Who I am, the lives of Homeless Women by Elliot Liebow The writer though reports that it is not the interest of women to be homeless since they have the capacity to work and provide themselves with whatever they want.
Homelessness as a Global Social Issue In the US, homelessness is on the increase because of economic melt- down and foreclosures. Moreover, differences in perception of homelessness by liberal and conservative on homeless have increased homelessness in the US.
The Causes and Impacts of Homelessness Liberalists argue that homelessness results from the general nature and the poor economic structures and the manner in which finances and resources are distributed in the society.
Homelessness in the US The existing policies do not address the problem of homelessness in the US. The constitution was adjusted in 1949 to cater for the needs of the poor in society.
Mumbai Great Problem: Homelessness Problem in Cities From the discussion of the categories of the homeless, it is clear that it can prove to be difficult to define what homelessness truly is.
Homelessness as a Social Issue Research further indicates that the group is at a high risk of suffering from addiction in an effort to contain stress and ignominy associated with homelessness.
Giving Money to the Homeless: Is It Important? The question of whether a person should give money to a homeless person or not is a complicated one and cannot have the right answer.
Homelessness and Housing in Oneida County and City of Utica This research aims to assess the well-being of the community of Oneida County and the City of Utica, using the data on homelessness rates and housing prices.
The Impact of Homelessness in California: Economic and Other Reasons The crisis intensified after the recession of 2008 when prices soared up, and now hundreds of thousands of people live in their tents or vehicles in LA, San Francisco, and other cities.
Why Is Being Homeless Not a Bad Idea? Another benefit of living on the streets is a chance to be withdrawn from the misery of modern life and technological advancements.
Kids and Youth Homelessness: Facts and Statistics in the United States There have been numerous government interventions in the form of policies since the times of the Great Depression, but the number of homeless children and teenagers has only increased.
Overpopulation and Homelessness in the Modern World According to the United Nations, more than half of the population resides in urban areas, making the problem of homelessness visible: cities cannot keep up with the high demand for housing, resulting in people living […]
Social Work and Homelessness Research Methodology A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to answer the following research question: what is the effectiveness of the Housing First program to street homelessness based on the experiences of both human service professionals and […]
The Issue of Homelessness in New York City The enormous drop in the number of single-room dwelling units in New York City during the rise of contemporary homelessness was the most crucial single shift in the city’s housing stock.
Organization’s Mission to End Homelessness The rate of homelessness has been steadily increasing over the last decade in the U.S.due to foreclosures and unprecedented recessionary cycles.
Homelessness in Northern California The residents of Northern California faced frustration and anxiety, raising health and safety fears and causing multiple debates about poverty and discrimination in one of the wealthiest states of the country.
Community Service Experience: Homeless Shelter The shelter also organizes outreach and humanitarian work during the day to ensure that homeless people in the community know about the shelter and the services it provides.
Health Problems Among Homeless People To sum up, it should be noted that homeless people, one of the most vulnerable groups in society, suffer from numerous health problems.
Helping the Homeless in the Community The main task during the two hours is preparing cutlery and to serving the food to the homeless people. We particularly have to focus on the living conditions of the homeless people to highlight the […]
Homeless Veterans in the United States The lack of jobs leads to idleness which is the major cause of the veterans’ addiction to drug abuse. The alarming increase in the number of the homeless veterans is due to continuing war in […]
Homelessness Studies and Their Ethical Dimensions It is clear that the individuals were not made aware of the consequences of these experiments. Such research can be made ethical if researchers devote more attention to people’s health during and after the trials’ […]
Human Services and Needs Assessment of Homeless In the case study by Giffords, Alonso, and Bell, the purpose of gathering needs information is to assess and record the level of individual adolescents’ skills. A needs assessment is crucial for identifying the goals […]
Homelessness in the United States Additionally, a variety of factors contributes to homelessness and they are deep within the makeup of the economy thus homelessness has remained an area of concern to the government, the social service providers and the […]
Homelessness in Australia: Geography of Unhealthy Housing The two primary domains that govern the social welfare needs of this population group are income support and housing assistance; however, there can be limitations in these policies that impact the well-being of homeless Australians.
The Rights of the Homeless and the Contradictions of the Law Thus, there is a direct contradiction in this and similar municipal laws to the provision of the Constitution, as the Court of Appeals affirmed.
Safe Golf in Sacramento: Solving the Homelessness Problem There are many problems and misunderstandings related to the problem of homelessness in Sacramento, but the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex is probably the most damaged organization in this context.
Homelessness Solutions for the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex The point is that there is a homeless encampment behind the organization on Roseville Road, and the behavior and lifestyles of its resident deter golfers and potential guests of the complex from playing at the […]
Homelessness in the Veteran Community Such social conditions may consist of bureaucracy, the lack of government investments, class distribution, the lack of ethical considerations within the scope of the legislation, and many others which can deprive the mentioned population of […]
Nature and Importance of a Center for Homeless People The organizations offer community members an opportunity to give back to the community, and they will always be appreciated due to the fact that needy and homeless individuals will exist endlessly in the world.
Understanding the Causes of Homelessness Poverty, in this case, was defined as the inability of a person to afford essential commodities such as food, shelter, and clothing. In this case, although alcoholism and drug use contributed to homelessness, the precedent […]
Homeless People and Their Key Challenges Therefore, I continue to view homeless people as those deserving of equal compassion and sympathy as those having a home. Since I view homeless people as fellow human beings first, I continue to promote the […]
Homeless as At-Risk Population Based on the statistics from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, about 580466 people were “experiencing homelessness on our streets and in shelters in America” as of 2020.
Poverty and Homelessness as a Global Social Problem What makes the task of defining poverty particularly difficult is the discrepancy in the distribution of social capital and, therefore, the resulting differences in the understanding of what constitutes poverty, particularly, where the line should […]
Poverty and Homelessness in American Society It is connected with social segregation, stigmatization, and the inability of the person to improve their conditions of life. The problem of affordable housing and poverty among older adults is another problem that leads to […]
Homeless Populations in the United States For example, power is the ability to affect and manage external resources related to human behaviors and decisions that contribute to social movements and community change.
Providing Medical Care to Homeless People During the COVID-19 Pandemic The first barrier affecting the provision of medical care to the homeless is social. The first possible socio-economic support for changes may be the opening of a department in each hospital to work with the […]
The Homelessness Issue in Canada The amount of Canadians who are homeless on any nightly basis in Canada is believed to be at least 35,000 people.even though the average duration of stay in emergency housing is about 50 days, more […]
Drug Abuse Among Homeless Young Adults in New Jersey The reason why young adults in New Jersey get involved in drugs and alcohol after becoming homeless is to manage their situations in an attempt to attain the tentative pleasure of life despite their problems. […]
Promoting Wellbeing in Homeless People: Group Fitness Intervention The authors of this article conducted the study to give insight into the importance of considering homeless people in the society they belong. The importance of the study was to encourage people to have inclusivity […]
Homelessness in the US: Effectiveness of Intervention The issue of properly maintaining a home was addressed as the client learned how to adapt to a home by himself.
Issue of Youth Homelessness in Canada The third and fourth factors, the lack of education and unemployment, are interconnected, resulting in inconsistent and low income and the inability to afford proper housing.
Homeless People and COVID-19: Maricopa Country Moved Homeless People In other words, it is necessary to increase the level of social assistance to the homeless, increasing the availability of housing and social benefits.
Homelessness as a Major Healthcare Issue As such, relocating the money to provide shelter and improve housing for homeless people would ensure a positive result of spending the budget to care for the homeless.
Homelessness: Its Causes, Effects, and Prevention In this article, the professors collaborate in addressing the issue of homelessness and its impact on public health. In this article, the authors focus on the effects of homelessness on economies and public health.
Vancouver Homeless Problem and Solutions It does not address the main source of the problem the financial struggles of homeless people and their inability to pay the rent.
The National Intensive Case Management Program for Homeless Veterans: Critique The program is assessed using the four principles of community psychology, which include problems addressed, values reflected in the program approach and methods, conceptual foundation of the program, and action and research tools.
“Homelessness, Housing Insecurity and Social Exclusion” in Asian Regions The article Homelessness, housing insecurity and social exclusion in China, Hong Kong, and Japan, written by Kennett and Mizuuchi, examines the issue of homelessness in Asian regions, emphasizing housing insecurity in Hong Kong.
Homelessness in Canada: Reflective Analysis This analysis is intended to be an academic reflection and to cover issues related to the clarification of the topic, personal experiences, and the connection of the problem to global citizenship.
“Homelessness Monologue”: A Fictional Story He is also white, and his appearance is disheveled: the face appears dirty and tired and has bruises; the clothes are torn, and the shoes can barely protect the feet. The partition in the middle […]
Homelessness in Los Angeles County, California Hence, the purpose of this research is to explore the background of the homelessness issue in Los Angeles County, California, and provide a specific health education program for the identified vulnerable population.
Poverty and Homelessness as Social Problem The qualifications will include a recommendation from the community to ensure that the person is open to help and willing to be involved in the neighborhood of Non-Return.
Single, Low-Income, or Homeless Mothers’ Health and Parenting Problems To promote their wellbeing, health professionals may support homeless mothers in practices such as the use of strengths-anchored nursing, supporting ideas of good parenting, overcoming stigma, and discovering and eliminating the unsurmountable hindrances encountered within […]
Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” and Homelessness in the U.S. This paper aims to briefly summarize the plot and the themes of this short story and relate it to the current problem of homelessness in the United States.
Community Meeting on Homelessness in the US The purpose of the public deliberations was to help the City Council make more informed decisions about how homeless encampments should be serviced and managed in the future. Power and influence are some of the […]
The Issue of Homeless Veterans I learned a lot in the framework of the issue of homeless veterans. Among the primary problems, there is the absence of programs for the rapid adaptation of servicemen to a peaceful life.
Navigating the System For Families Experiencing Homelessness As a social phenomenon, it is caused by a complex of social, economic, civil, and cultural conflicts, as a result of which a part of the population is deprived of living conditions, which are recognized […]
Homelessness: Improving Health Outcomes However, in the 1880s, the public perceptions of homelessness improved following the development of literature that appreciated their courage and willingness to deviate from monotony and oppression associated with industrial work.
The Problem of Homelessness in Society Societies begin to realize that the growth of homelessness is partly their fault, and it is also their responsibility not to let this issue get worse.
Cultural Immersion Project for Homeless Group My practice was relatively positive and in line with the expectations and previously received information about the cultural group, as clients voluntarily underwent training and sought to reduce the level of aggression.
The Problem of Homeless Youths With HIV-AIDS Studies carried out in the city of New York in 2008 showed that 21 percent of homeless youth males and 24 percent of homeless female youths had “more than 100 lifetime partners”. 5 percent of […]
The Problem of Homeless People in St. Petersburg The problem under consideration concerns the number of homeless people living on the streets of the second-largest city in Russia. The intended results of the project’s activities are to increase the awareness of the residents […]
Regulating Society: Criminalising Homelessness Intolerance of homelessness and homeless people by cities, law enforcement agencies, and the public accounts for such violent crimes against homeless people.
Vulnerable Population: Homelessness In such a way, they will be more prepared to come up with quality personalized approaches to health care for this vulnerable population’s representatives.
Addressing Substance Abuse in Skid Row: Intervention and Prevention There is a need to fill the data gap regarding the issues of magnitude, location, period, severity, and changeability of the SUD in the Skid Row community.
Shelter and Public Welfare Resources for the Homeless One of the issues the campaign is currently facing is the lack of information about the problem, the current government programs, their strengths and weaknesses, and the input that general citizens can make for the […]
Chronic Homelessness: Definition and Addressing the Issue The problem was first reported in the 1850s though it became a national problem in the 1870s shortly after the Civil War.
Housing Interventions for Homelessness The interventions studied were TH and RRH with ES serving as a reference point or control, and the time length is manifested in the analysis, which assesses the general likelihood of a household returning to […]
Homelessness: Social and Economic Problems It is these and other factors that contribute to homelessness, a condition that is seldom a choice for people who must live outside the comfort and security of a home environment.
Homeless Shelter Health Care Services The search for articles was based primarily on the issues they addressed: they all concern the issue of health care for homeless people and try to single out the most optimal models of it.
About the California Homeless The population of concerns is homeless youth under age 18 who seek shelter in the community of San Diego, California.
Homelessness and Education in the USA Every child, homeless or not, has the right to a public school education that is equal to the standards of achievement that are available for all youths and children.
Understanding of the Homeless Population The state of focus is Georgia and the County of Fulton. 2 percent of homeless individuals had severe cases of mental illnesses Nearly 34.
Decision-Making in Business: Help Our Homeless Offspring The decision remains with the financial controller of the donor-corporation who is tasked with advising its organisation on whether to grant the funding.
Homeless Persons as Vulnerable Population in the US The nature of homelessness and its link to the resources available, the status of health and related risks can be of great significant to nurses.
Aggregate Homeless in Fulton County, Georgia The individuals who are homeless constituted 52% of the total homeless people in Fulton. The decrease in the numbers of the homeless was by 21 people.
Mental Health & Incidences of Homelessness in Australia In Australia, as is the case in other countries across the world, it is generally assumed that most homeless individuals are faced with mental health challenges and that mental illness is a principal cause of […]
Homeless Women and Healthcare: Access to Health Care, Medication, and Health Facilities Farmer suggested that the utter disregard to the plight of the marginalized who are most vulnerable in all aspects of social benefits is the “pathologies of power” that are symptoms and signs of structural inequality.
Homeless Families Analysis One of the highlights of the existing studies is the idea of a “hunger-obesity paradox” determined by the body mass indicator of homeless adults and the rest of the people.
A Need for an Effective Homelessness Policy in Florida 3 million disparity in the number of units available for rent and the number of households exacerbated the problem of homelessness in the country.
The Problem of Homelessness in Australia: Social, Political, and Political Dynamics The involvement and collaboration of all key partners and stakeholders will make it possible for the country to overcome this problem.
Self-Efficacy and Smoking Urges in Homeless Individuals Pinsker et al.point out that the levels of self-efficacy and the severity of smoking urges change significantly during the smoking cessation treatment.
Debunking the Myths on Homelessness: Misconceptions About the Social Status and Mental Health The point of concern is that the housing market, particularly in the United States, does not have enough low-cost living space that is affordable to the economical marginals and people with low income.
Political Issue of Homelessness: Finding Solutions Despite the undoubted successes of the Trump administration in the economic sphere – it appeared possible to significantly reduce unemployment and overcome the mortgage crisis – the number of homeless people is constantly growing.
The Issue of Homeless People in Los Angeles A reliable organization that provides statistics on the problem and aims to overcome it is the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA. The latter makes it difficult to find a well-paid job and get […]
Christian Ethics: Homelessness in Atlanta According to it, it is a norm for all people to have an appropriate home where they can be safe. There is no legislation that can make others provide a vulnerable population with home, but […]
Urban Planning Optimization and Homelessness Therefore, the urban planning should be revised regarding those private providers’ interests: the risk of failure for future city development would strongly increase in the areas of possible economic concern.
Optimizing Urban Planning to Address Homelessness Researchers use sensitivity analysis to assess the contribution of single preference parameters to the uncertainty of the ranking of alternatives. In the same manner, authorities can create a database consisting of all the shelters for […]
Homelessness in the Context of Middle-Range Theories The purpose of this paper is to discuss the selected vulnerable group and its current health and social issues and then to analyze the application of several middle-range theories to the mentioned issues.
The York Region Alliance to End Homelessness The following are the objectives of the organization; To ensure that there is safe storage of furniture and other properties that belong to persons living in temporary shelters and those properties that have been donated […]
Media’s Role in Framing Homelessness Apart from this whatever the weakness or merits of the commission’s plan are, there also exists a great and a huge gap between the policy’s level and the ways for an ordinary citizens in order […]
The Hidden Homelessness in the City of Los Angeles Private organizations as well as volunteer groups have come to the rescue of homeless Skid Row’s residents, offering them shelter and other necessities.
The Problem of Homeless People Is a Social The subject of homelessness allows me to understand that stable employment and control of financial accounts are the main things in the life of every person.
Health Implications of Homelessness: Experiences and Emotional Feelings This study considers the aspect of health implications in homelessness through the essay written by a noted writer, Lars Eighner, through his various essay, significant among them being called ‘On dumpster diving.’ In this article […]
The Homelessness Problem in the US: Issue Review A report dubbed “The changing character of homelessness in the United States” identifies a new breed of homeless in the US. According to them this was a contributing factor to the rising level of the […]
The Problem of Homelessness in Metropolitan Areas In this sense, the authors identify four types of causes, which might appear one after another in a cycle: the underlying causes; the direct causes or catalysts which result in the loss of a home […]
Homeless Students Problem in USA This essay discusses the causes and consequences of homelessness in the nation and a solution to decrease the problems faced by the homeless youngsters.
The Problem of Homelessness: Media View It understands the role of the media in problem construction and the definition of the weight the matter carries to the public.
Homelessness as a Cause of Concern Around the World Shortage and high cost of housing and the increasing cost of health care are becoming the main reasons for homelessness amongst people in most parts of the developed world. In the absence of houses to […]
Volunteer Group Event for Homeless Children Such children will be the pillars of the future generation and hence it becomes a duty for each of us to contribute in making the lives of deprived children better.
The Problem of Homelessness It should be pointed out that status of homeless people in the society varies from one country to another: in the United States, Western Europe or Australia, they have better opportunities of deriving support of […]
Homeless Youths and Health Care Needs From such a perspective therefore, it is the intention of this research study to explore the issue of the challenges that are faced by the homeless youths in Cardiff, in the United Kingdom, as regards […]
The Problem of Homelessness in the US That is why every government tries to provide the strategies for homelessness to help people to deal with the problem, but not all of them are successful.
Problem of Homeless People in New York New York City, the city that never sleeps, and one of the most populous places on the earth, has been facing the huge task of providing homes to its citizens.
The Homeless in Our Community The estimated half a million children that, at any one time, is homeless in America and their mothers represent the “fastest growing segment of the homeless population”.
New York’s Homeless Children and Foster Care System Foster homes have to also face the challenge of developing the mentalities of the children are their clients, and care should be provided on that basis.
Amicus Curiae: Defending the Rights of the Homeless Laws by the government that the poor should not be homeless and that those who are homeless should not be permitted to sit or roam around the sidewalks of the US cities are not fair.
Evaluating the Self-Esteem of the Homeless The mission statement of the program indicates the central role played by the agency to the welfare of the society.”The Doe Fund’s mission is to develop and implement cost-effective, holistic programs that meet the needs […]
Homelessness: A Huge Social Problem in Canada Lastly, homelessness was chosen as a topic of research because there is very little information about the issue especially in relation to health.
Homeless Problem in the US In contrast to independent media, the task of mainstream media is to impress the audience and impress them by ‘current news’ and reports.
Mental Healthcare Quality and Homelessness Levels According to the World Health Organization, “Health is a state of complete mental, physical and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
Medical Care for Homeless Drug Users Homeless injection-drug abusers are a medically vulnerable group predisposed to high morbidity and limited access to high-quality care compared to non-drug users.
Transitional Living Program Design for Homeless Adolescents The Homeless Trust organizes and directs the Miami-Dade County Homeless Plan, which is a central document of the county that regulates the government policy that addresses the issues of the homeless.
The Issue of Homelessness in Modern World The problem is viewed from various perspectives by different authors, and many conclusions are valuable in terms of drawing attention to the issue.
The US Government and Homes for Homeless People The situation with homeless people differs from one state to another, but common features of the issue and the ways the local authorities choose to deal with homelessness are similar.
Social Work in the Military With Homeless Veterans The purpose of this statement is to immediately provide the patient with emotional support and encouragement while establishing initial rapport at the same time.
“Death of a Homeless Man” by Scott Russell Sanders The author stresses that the aim of the story is not simply to inform about the fact or some statistics concerning poverty or alcoholism in the USA.
Violating Norms: A Day in the Life of a Homeless Person He said it in a concerned manner that when my friend told him what I was up to, he laughed at the humor of it.
Social Work and Homelessness in the United States The new study will analyze how different programs such as the Housing First have managed to minimize the impacts of homelessness.
Affordable Housing Policy for American Homeless I have recently heard a politician saying that the government should offer more affordable housing to low-income housing. You may be right to some degree, but the task of government is to help those citizens […]
The Real Needs of Homeless Youth in the United States Another threat for the homeless youth is sex trafficking the occurrence of which was documented in all the states of the USA.
Anti-Homelessness Program’s Cost Benefit Analysis For the first program, the major benefit is the reduction of homelessness among adolescents and young adults as one of the most serious current social problems.
Social Justice Group Work for Homeless Young Mothers The group discussed in the article was started for the purpose of assisting residents address the problem of homelessness especially in aspects of parenting and during pregnancy periods.
Mental Illness and Homelessness in the United States Hence, there is a need to establish elaborate policies for addressing the problem of mental illness among homeless people in all regions in the US.
The Needs of Students Experiencing Homelessness Thus, counselors will have a possibility to identify common patterns in the target learners’ behaviors and design the interventions that will help manage the emotional and psychological concerns of homeless students. It is crucial that […]
A Look at Homelessness in Chicago When speaking about this problem in the context of the American city of Chicago, Illinois, it is worth noting that here, the level of homelessness is quite high.
Crowdfunding Project to Help Homeless People To assess the marketability of the proposed project, it is important to answer the question, “Why is the project important?” Providing free haircuts and showers to homeless people proved to be a beneficial activity.
Homelessness Among Students in the United States The number of homeless students is increasing due to rising costs of living and the lack of programs aimed at assisting this vulnerable population.
Aboriginal Homelessness in Vancouver One of the examples of institutionalized discrimination is the existence of the Indian Act, first established to define the “Indian Status” and control the identity of Indigenous people.
Homelessness in the US as a Solvable Problem The problem is believed to be caused by a wide range of social issues that have affected the country for the past centuries.
American Homelessness, Its Causes and Solutions The United States of America has a fair share of the homeless. In the absence of poverty, the population would afford decent housing and avoid residing on the streets.
Los Angeles: Housing, Homelessness, Drugs, Crimes For example, it is evident that Los Angeles has a number of gangs and groups living in the neighborhood. In this regard, agents recorded a significant decrease in the sale of houses in Los Angeles.
Homelessness in “Light in August” and “Wise Blood” The concept of home is commonly regarded in relation to the process of formation of individual identity, and, in almost every culture, the definition of a home serves as an indicator of a person’s wholeness […]
The Self-Care Habits and Patterns in Homeless Individuals This paper focuses on the collection and analysis of data in the study by Rew that targeted the self-care behaviors of homeless youth.
Mentally Ill Homeless People: Stereotypes Therefore, it is interesting from the research point of view to analyze the stereotypes about the homeless with chronic mental conditions.
Homelessness and School Readiness Evaluation Rog expected to define and underline the necessities of homeless families and their mechanisms of coping with the situation, review the correlation between homelessness in families, child and domestic abuse, and incidents of rape, and […]
Mayor Schell’s Homeless Policy Reengineering The paper will also highlight the steps taken by Mayor Schell to redesign the program in order to fit the fresh goals.
Issue of Homelessness in America Currently the numbers of homeless families have significantly increased compared with the number in 1980s and earlier. However, the numbers of homeless individuals and families have considerably augmented by over thirty percent in the last […]
The Homeless Population Reducing The number of homeless Americans is increasing and these people, in the vast majority of cases, are also suffering from numerous diseases including HIV/AIDS, drug and alcohol abuse, various mental disorders and so on.
Homeless Veterans Causes and Effects The inability of the Department of Veterans Affairs to fast track compensation and funding for disabled veterans is linked to homelessness among many veterans.
Christian Duty to Care for Homeless People While Catholic Social Teachings call for the people in the society to promote equality, the poor people in the society are seen as a nuisance to the financially liberated members of the society.
Catholic Dealing With Poverty and Homelessness The idea of “common good” will support many people in the world. The practice will support many people in the world.
Homelessness in Phoenix Arizona State People have different views regarding the help rendered to the homeless people, and indeed, there are those who feel that Arizona State should pay no attention to the homeless people.
Public Administration: Homeless in Phoenix Various models have been adopted to eradicate the problem, but the general formula to control the issue has been through the exclusion of the homeless from the main city as lepers into the territorial confinement […]
Minority Population at Risk: Homelessness For example, in improving the conditions of the homeless, employers should review the employment requirements and level of competencies in order to absorb the unemployed homeless.
Homelessness in Canadian Society As a result, the demand for housing has surpassed the supply because of changes in government policies and efforts to address the issue of homelessness.
Counting Homeless People in Seattle This research paper explores the possibilities of solving the problem of homeless and street families through counting them and presenting the best alternatives and suggestions on how this exercise should be done.
Cultural Immersion of Homeless Veterans Veterans value their country and therefore the Department of Veterans Affairs should make an effort to ensure that the lives of all veterans are improved.
Policy Analysis: Homelessness This paper identifies some of the solutions to the problem and analyzes the viability of each solution. It is only through evaluation that policy makers can account for each cent spent in the project.
An Action Plan for Settling Homeless People in Seattle The problem of homelessness in Seattle is worsened by the lack of affordable housing units for the poor citizens in the city.
Homelessness Problem in the Kenora District With regard to the focus group, it is necessary to highlight the reasons for the increased number of homeless individuals, analyze the consequences of the problem for social welfare of the town, and provide new […]
Crimes, Homelessness, Mental Disorders However, several problems in the Australian society have become a serious cause for concern, specifically because these problems have a direct impact on the future of the young people and consequently the future of Australia.
Approaching Homelessness in America It is estimated that the majority of those who are homeless live in central cities and they constitute 71% of all the people who are homeless in America.
Disparities in health outcomes in homeless people In this paper explores some of the social, cultural, and political factors that propel disparities in health among the homeless, and policy frameworks that can serve to redress these disparities.
Public Policy: Homelessness The major stakeholder in the issue of homelessness is the government. It is laughable for citizens of the great nation to stay in the cold.
Ending Chronic Homelessness in the United Kingdom This planning team, working in collaboration with the agency, used a strategic procedure in reviewing current achievements and in developing suggestions for the scope and tactics to be the outline of the 2013 activities, the […]
Herts Young Homeless Group Marketing Strategy The organization was established in 1988 in a bid to address the issue of homelessness among the youth of Hertfordshire. Volunteers and members of the community will be encouraged to market the organization to their […]
Poverty, Homelessness and Discrimination in Australia: The Case of the Aboriginal
The Problem of Homeless People in Modern World
More Homeless than Athletes in 2010 by Paulsen
The Canadian Government should Offer Additional Support for Homeless People
Public Administration in America: Grants to Help Homeless
The Concept of Community Development to the Homeless Youths in Australia
Homelessness as the Social Phenomenon
Volunteering for Horizon House: Homeless Neighbours’ Motivation to Find Jobs
Homelessness and Schizophrenia
The Effects of Homelessness in Ohio
The Problem of Homeless Veterans in US
Homeless Rights in US
Climate Shift Could Leave Some Marine Species Homeless
Homelessness in Vancouver, Canada: Discussing its Causes & Effects
Homelessness as the Scourge of the Modern Society: The Causes, the Outcomes and the Means to Eliminate It
Combating Homelessness With Affordable Housing
Culture and Individual Development of Homelessness
The Impact of the American Economic System on Homelessness
Homelessness, Mental Illness, and Social Intervention
The Federal Strategic Plan For Prevent and End Homelessness
Homelessness and Other Issues Caused by the Mergers and Advancement of Companies in the United States
Overview Homelessness and the Lawson Panhandling in America
Family Homelessness and Its Effects on Children
The Link Between Mental Illness and Homelessness
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Lifetime Prevalence of Homelessness in the United States
Analysis Homelessness Postmodernist and Feminist Perspective
Homelessness and Substance Abuse
Analysis Homelessness and the Effect It Has on Social Health
Homelessness and Domestic Violence Awareness
Child Abuse and Neglect, Homelessness, and Marital Problems
Homelessness Among Formerly Incarcerated African American Men: Contributors and Consequences
Overview City Life, Homelessness, Race, and Sociology
Homelessness: Rates, Causes, Conflicts and Solutions
General Information Abouthomelessness Among Those With Mental Illness
Dealing With the Problem of Homelessness in the United States
Features the Homelessness Among Youth in Canada
Helping People With a Chronic Homelessness Problem
Analysis Homelessness Amongst Marginalized LGBTQ Youth
Homelessness, Property Rights and Institutional Logics
Domestic Violence and Homelessness Among Women
Why Has Homelessness Gained Worldwide Attention?
Homelessness Is an Epidemic That Affects Everyone?
What Are the Ways To Prevent Youth Homelessness?
How Is Homelessness in Connecticut Fought With Supportive Housing?
What Are the Consequences of Homelessness for Women?
How Does Social Inequality Contribute to Homelessness in the United States?
Can Symbolic Interactionism Help With Homelessness?
How Aware of Homelessness and Domestic Violence in European Countries?
What Are the Main Causes and Consequences of Homelessness?
How Can People Help Solve the Problem of Homelessness?
What Are the Social Justice Challenges for the Homeless?
How Does New York Fight Homelessness?
What Are the Problems and Consequences of Homelessness in New York?
How Does Homelessness Affect Society?
What Causes Homelessness Across America?
How Can You Avoid Homelessness Using Rent Control?
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2.3 Explaining Poverty

Learning objectives.

Describe the assumptions of the functionalist and conflict views of stratification and of poverty.
Explain the focus of symbolic interactionist work on poverty.
Understand the difference between the individualist and structural explanations of poverty.

Why does poverty exist, and why and how do poor people end up being poor? The sociological perspectives introduced in Chapter 1 “Understanding Social Problems” provide some possible answers to these questions through their attempt to explain why American society is stratified —that is, why it has a range of wealth ranging from the extremely wealthy to the extremely poor. We review what these perspectives say generally about social stratification (rankings of people based on wealth and other resources a society values) before turning to explanations focusing specifically on poverty.

In general, the functionalist perspective and conflict perspective both try to explain why social stratification exists and endures, while the symbolic interactionist perspective discusses the differences that stratification produces for everyday interaction. Table 2.2 “Theory Snapshot” summarizes these three approaches.

Table 2.2 Theory Snapshot

The Functionalist View

As discussed in Chapter 1 “Understanding Social Problems” , functionalist theory assumes that society’s structures and processes exist because they serve important functions for society’s stability and continuity. In line with this view, functionalist theorists in sociology assume that stratification exists because it also serves important functions for society. This explanation was developed more than sixty years ago by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore (Davis & Moore, 1945) in the form of several logical assumptions that imply stratification is both necessary and inevitable. When applied to American society, their assumptions would be as follows:

Some jobs are more important than other jobs. For example, the job of a brain surgeon is more important than the job of shoe shining.
Some jobs require more skills and knowledge than other jobs. To stay with our example, it takes more skills and knowledge to perform brain surgery than to shine shoes.
Relatively few people have the ability to acquire the skills and knowledge that are needed to do these important, highly skilled jobs. Most of us would be able to do a decent job of shining shoes, but very few of us would be able to become brain surgeons.
To encourage the people with the skills and knowledge to do the important, highly skilled jobs, society must promise them higher incomes or other rewards. If this is true, some people automatically end up higher in society’s ranking system than others, and stratification is thus necessary and inevitable.

To illustrate their assumptions, say we have a society where shining shoes and doing brain surgery both give us incomes of $150,000 per year. (This example is very hypothetical, but please keep reading.) If you decide to shine shoes, you can begin making this money at age 16, but if you decide to become a brain surgeon, you will not start making this same amount until about age 35, as you must first go to college and medical school and then acquire several more years of medical training. While you have spent nineteen additional years beyond age 16 getting this education and training and taking out tens of thousands of dollars in student loans, you could have spent those years shining shoes and making $150,000 a year, or $2.85 million overall. Which job would you choose?

Functional theory argues that the promise of very high incomes is necessary to encourage talented people to pursue important careers such as surgery. If physicians and shoe shiners made the same high income, would enough people decide to become physicians?

Public Domain Images – CC0 public domain.

As this example suggests, many people might not choose to become brain surgeons unless considerable financial and other rewards awaited them. By extension, we might not have enough people filling society’s important jobs unless they know they will be similarly rewarded. If this is true, we must have stratification. And if we must have stratification, then that means some people will have much less money than other people. If stratification is inevitable, then, poverty is also inevitable. The functionalist view further implies that if people are poor, it is because they do not have the ability to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for the important, high-paying jobs.

The functionalist view sounds very logical, but a few years after Davis and Moore published their theory, other sociologists pointed out some serious problems in their argument (Tumin, 1953; Wrong, 1959).

First, it is difficult to compare the importance of many types of jobs. For example, which is more important, doing brain surgery or mining coal? Although you might be tempted to answer with brain surgery, if no coal were mined then much of our society could not function. In another example, which job is more important, attorney or professor? (Be careful how you answer this one!)

Second, the functionalist explanation implies that the most important jobs have the highest incomes and the least important jobs the lowest incomes, but many examples, including the ones just mentioned, counter this view. Coal miners make much less money than physicians, and professors, for better or worse, earn much less on the average than lawyers. A professional athlete making millions of dollars a year earns many times the income of the president of the United States, but who is more important to the nation? Elementary school teachers do a very important job in our society, but their salaries are much lower than those of sports agents, advertising executives, and many other people whose jobs are far less essential.

Third, the functionalist view assumes that people move up the economic ladder based on their abilities, skills, knowledge, and, more generally, their merit. This implies that if they do not move up the ladder, they lack the necessary merit. However, this view ignores the fact that much of our stratification stems from lack of equal opportunity. As later chapters in this book discuss, because of their race, ethnicity, gender, and class standing at birth, some people have less opportunity than others to acquire the skills and training they need to fill the types of jobs addressed by the functionalist approach.

Finally, the functionalist explanation might make sense up to a point, but it does not justify the extremes of wealth and poverty found in the United States and other nations. Even if we do have to promise higher incomes to get enough people to become physicians, does that mean we also need the amount of poverty we have? Do CEOs of corporations really need to make millions of dollars per year to get enough qualified people to become CEOs? Do people take on a position as CEO or other high-paying job at least partly because of the challenge, working conditions, and other positive aspects they offer? The functionalist view does not answer these questions adequately.

One other line of functionalist thinking focuses more directly on poverty than generally on stratification. This particular functionalist view provocatively argues that poverty exists because it serves certain positive functions for our society. These functions include the following: (1) poor people do the work that other people do not want to do; (2) the programs that help poor people provide a lot of jobs for the people employed by the programs; (3) the poor purchase goods, such as day-old bread and used clothing, that other people do not wish to purchase, and thus extend the economic value of these goods; and (4) the poor provide jobs for doctors, lawyers, teachers, and other professionals who may not be competent enough to be employed in positions catering to wealthier patients, clients, students, and so forth (Gans, 1972). Because poverty serves all these functions and more, according to this argument, the middle and upper classes have a vested interested in neglecting poverty to help ensure its continued existence.

The Conflict View

Because he was born in a log cabin and later became president, Abraham Lincoln’s life epitomizes the American Dream, which is the belief that people born into poverty can become successful through hard work. The popularity of this belief leads many Americans to blame poor people for their poverty.

US Library of Congress – public domain.

Conflict theory’s explanation of stratification draws on Karl Marx’s view of class societies and incorporates the critique of the functionalist view just discussed. Many different explanations grounded in conflict theory exist, but they all assume that stratification stems from a fundamental conflict between the needs and interests of the powerful, or “haves,” in society and those of the weak, or “have-nots” (Kerbo, 2012). The former take advantage of their position at the top of society to stay at the top, even if it means oppressing those at the bottom. At a minimum, they can heavily influence the law, the media, and other institutions in a way that maintains society’s class structure.

In general, conflict theory attributes stratification and thus poverty to lack of opportunity from discrimination and prejudice against the poor, women, and people of color. In this regard, it reflects one of the early critiques of the functionalist view that the previous section outlined. To reiterate an earlier point, several of the remaining chapters of this book discuss the various obstacles that make it difficult for the poor, women, and people of color in the United States to move up the socioeconomic ladder and to otherwise enjoy healthy and productive lives.

Symbolic Interactionism

Consistent with its micro orientation, symbolic interactionism tries to understand stratification and thus poverty by looking at people’s interaction and understandings in their daily lives. Unlike the functionalist and conflict views, it does not try to explain why we have stratification in the first place. Rather, it examines the differences that stratification makes for people’s lifestyles and their interaction with other people.

Many detailed, insightful sociological books on the lives of the urban and rural poor reflect the symbolic interactionist perspective (Anderson, 1999; C. M. Duncan, 2000; Liebow, 1993; Rank, 1994). These books focus on different people in different places, but they all make very clear that the poor often lead lives of quiet desperation and must find ways of coping with the fact of being poor. In these books, the consequences of poverty discussed later in this chapter acquire a human face, and readers learn in great detail what it is like to live in poverty on a daily basis.

Some classic journalistic accounts by authors not trained in the social sciences also present eloquent descriptions of poor people’s lives (Bagdikian, 1964; Harrington, 1962). Writing in this tradition, a newspaper columnist who grew up in poverty recently recalled, “I know the feel of thick calluses on the bottom of shoeless feet. I know the bite of the cold breeze that slithers through a drafty house. I know the weight of constant worry over not having enough to fill a belly or fight an illness…Poverty is brutal, consuming and unforgiving. It strikes at the soul” (Blow, 2011).

Another dirtied, poor, child on the streets

Sociological accounts of the poor provide a vivid portrait of what it is like to live in poverty on a daily basis.

Pixabay – CC0 public domain.

On a more lighthearted note, examples of the symbolic interactionist framework are also seen in the many literary works and films that portray the difficulties that the rich and poor have in interacting on the relatively few occasions when they do interact. For example, in the film Pretty Woman , Richard Gere plays a rich businessman who hires a prostitute, played by Julia Roberts, to accompany him to swank parties and other affairs. Roberts has to buy a new wardrobe and learn how to dine and behave in these social settings, and much of the film’s humor and poignancy come from her awkwardness in learning the lifestyle of the rich.

Specific Explanations of Poverty

The functionalist and conflict views focus broadly on social stratification but only indirectly on poverty. When poverty finally attracted national attention during the 1960s, scholars began to try specifically to understand why poor people become poor and remain poor. Two competing explanations developed, with the basic debate turning on whether poverty arises from problems either within the poor themselves or in the society in which they live (Rank, 2011). The first type of explanation follows logically from the functional theory of stratification and may be considered an individualistic explanation. The second type of explanation follows from conflict theory and is a structural explanation that focuses on problems in American society that produce poverty. Table 2.3 “Explanations of Poverty” summarizes these explanations.

Table 2.3 Explanations of Poverty

It is critical to determine which explanation makes more sense because, as sociologist Theresa C. Davidson (Davidson, 2009) observes, “beliefs about the causes of poverty shape attitudes toward the poor.” To be more precise, the particular explanation that people favor affects their view of government efforts to help the poor. Those who attribute poverty to problems in the larger society are much more likely than those who attribute it to deficiencies among the poor to believe that the government should do more to help the poor (Bradley & Cole, 2002). The explanation for poverty we favor presumably affects the amount of sympathy we have for the poor, and our sympathy, or lack of sympathy, in turn affects our views about the government’s role in helping the poor. With this backdrop in mind, what do the individualistic and structural explanations of poverty say?

Individualistic Explanation

According to the individualistic explanation , the poor have personal problems and deficiencies that are responsible for their poverty. In the past, the poor were thought to be biologically inferior, a view that has not entirely faded, but today the much more common belief is that they lack the ambition and motivation to work hard and to achieve success. According to survey evidence, the majority of Americans share this belief (Davidson, 2009). A more sophisticated version of this type of explanation is called the culture of poverty theory (Banfield, 1974; Lewis, 1966; Murray, 2012). According to this theory, the poor generally have beliefs and values that differ from those of the nonpoor and that doom them to continued poverty. For example, they are said to be impulsive and to live for the present rather than the future.

Regardless of which version one might hold, the individualistic explanation is a blaming-the-victim approach (see Chapter 1 “Understanding Social Problems” ). Critics say this explanation ignores discrimination and other problems in American society and exaggerates the degree to which the poor and nonpoor do in fact hold different values (Ehrenreich, 2012; Holland, 2011; Schmidt, 2012). Regarding the latter point, they note that poor employed adults work more hours per week than wealthier adults and that poor parents interviewed in surveys value education for their children at least as much as wealthier parents. These and other similarities in values and beliefs lead critics of the individualistic explanation to conclude that poor people’s poverty cannot reasonably be said to result from a culture of poverty.

Structural Explanation

According to the second, structural explanation , which is a blaming-the-system approach, US poverty stems from problems in American society that lead to a lack of equal opportunity and a lack of jobs. These problems include (a) racial, ethnic, gender, and age discrimination; (b) lack of good schooling and adequate health care; and (c) structural changes in the American economic system, such as the departure of manufacturing companies from American cities in the 1980s and 1990s that led to the loss of thousands of jobs. These problems help create a vicious cycle of poverty in which children of the poor are often fated to end up in poverty or near poverty themselves as adults.

As Rank (Rank, 2011) summarizes this view, “American poverty is largely the result of failings at the economic and political levels, rather than at the individual level…In contrast to [the individualistic] perspective, the basic problem lies in a shortage of viable opportunities for all Americans.” Rank points out that the US economy during the past few decades has created more low-paying and part-time jobs and jobs without benefits, meaning that Americans increasingly find themselves in jobs that barely lift them out of poverty, if at all. Sociologist Fred Block and colleagues share this critique of the individualistic perspective: “Most of our policies incorrectly assume that people can avoid or overcome poverty through hard work alone. Yet this assumption ignores the realities of our failing urban schools, increasing employment insecurities, and the lack of affordable housing, health care, and child care. It ignores the fact that the American Dream is rapidly becoming unattainable for an increasing number of Americans, whether employed or not” (Block, et. al., 2006).

Most sociologists favor the structural explanation. As later chapters in this book document, racial and ethnic discrimination, lack of adequate schooling and health care, and other problems make it difficult to rise out of poverty. On the other hand, some ethnographic research supports the individualistic explanation by showing that the poor do have certain values and follow certain practices that augment their plight (Small, et. al., 2010). For example, the poor have higher rates of cigarette smoking (34 percent of people with annual incomes between $6,000 and $11,999 smoke, compared to only 13 percent of those with incomes $90,000 or greater [Goszkowski, 2008]), which helps cause them to have more serious health problems.

Adopting an integrated perspective, some researchers say these values and practices are ultimately the result of poverty itself (Small et, al., 2010). These scholars concede a culture of poverty does exist, but they also say it exists because it helps the poor cope daily with the structural effects of being poor. If these effects lead to a culture of poverty, they add, poverty then becomes self-perpetuating. If poverty is both cultural and structural in origin, these scholars say, efforts to improve the lives of people in the “other America” must involve increased structural opportunities for the poor and changes in some of their values and practices.

Key Takeaways

According to the functionalist view, stratification is a necessary and inevitable consequence of the need to use the promise of financial reward to encourage talented people to pursue important jobs and careers.
According to conflict theory, stratification results from lack of opportunity and discrimination against the poor and people of color.
According to symbolic interactionism, social class affects how people interact in everyday life and how they view certain aspects of the social world .
The individualistic view attributes poverty to individual failings of poor people themselves, while the structural view attributes poverty to problems in the larger society.

For Your Review

In explaining poverty in the United States, which view, individualist or structural, makes more sense to you? Why?
Suppose you could wave a magic wand and invent a society where everyone had about the same income no matter which job he or she performed. Do you think it would be difficult to persuade enough people to become physicians or to pursue other important careers? Explain your answer.

Anderson, E. (1999). Code of the street: Decency, violence, and the moral life of the inner city . New York, NY: W. W. Norton.

Bagdikian, B. H. (1964). In the midst of plenty: The poor in America . Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Banfield, E. C. (1974). The unheavenly city revisited . Boston, MA: Little, Brown.

Block, F., Korteweg, A. C., & Woodward, K. (2006). The compassion gap in American poverty policy. Contexts, 5 (2), 14–20.

Blow, C. M. (2011, June 25). Them that’s not shall lose. New York Times , p. A19.

Bradley, C., & Cole, D. J. (2002). Causal attributions and the significance of self-efficacy in predicting solutions to poverty. Sociological Focus, 35 , 381–396.

Davidson, T. C. (2009). Attributions for poverty among college students: The impact of service-learning and religiosity. College Student Journal, 43 , 136–144.

Davis, K., & Moore, W. (1945). Some principles of stratification. American Sociological Review, 10 , 242–249.

Duncan, C. M. (2000). Worlds apart: Why poverty persists in rural America . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Ehrenreich, B. (2012, March 15). What “other America”? Salon.com . Retrieved from http://www.salon.com/2012/03/15/the_truth_about_the_poor/ .

Gans, H. J. (1972). The positive functions of poverty. American Journal of Sociology, 78 , 275–289.

Goszkowski, R. (2008). Among Americans, smoking decreases as income increases. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/105550/among-americans-smoking-decreases-income-increases.aspx .

Harrington, M. (1962). The other America: Poverty in the United States . New York, NY: Macmillan.

Holland, J. (2011, July 29). Debunking the big lie right-wingers use to justify black poverty and unemployment. AlterNet . Retrieved from http://www.alternet.org/story/151830/debunking_the_big_lie_right-wingers_use_to_justify_black_poverty _and_unemployment_?page=entire .

Kerbo, H. R. (2012). Social stratification and inequality . New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Lewis, O. (1966). The culture of poverty. Scientific American, 113 , 19–25.

Liebow, E. (1993). Tell them who I am: The lives of homeless women . New York, NY: Free Press.

Murray, C. (2012). Coming apart: The state of white America, 1960–2010 . New York, NY: Crown Forum.

Rank, M. R. (1994). Living on the edge: The realities of welfare in America . New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Rank, M. R. (2011). Rethinking American poverty. Contexts, 10 (Spring), 16–21.

Schmidt, P. (2012, February 12). Charles Murray, author of the “Bell Curve,” steps back into the ring. The Chronicle of Higher Education . Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Charles-Murray-Author-of-The/130722/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en .

Small, M. L., Harding, D. J., & Lamont, M. (2010). Reconsidering culture and poverty. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 629 (May), 6–27.

Tumin, M. M. (1953). Some principles of stratification: A critical analysis. American Sociological Review, 18 , 387–393.

Wrong, D. H. (1959). The functional theory of stratification: Some neglected considerations. American Sociological Review, 24 , 772–782.

A color photograph of a mother and son in a car. Both are holding dogs on their laps and a third dog lays his head over the passenger seat.

Why Poverty Persists in America

A Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist offers a new explanation for an intractable problem.

A mother and son living in a Walmart parking lot in North Dakota in 2012. Credit... Eugene Richards

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By Matthew Desmond

Published March 9, 2023 Updated April 3, 2023

In the past 50 years, scientists have mapped the entire human genome and eradicated smallpox. Here in the United States, infant-mortality rates and deaths from heart disease have fallen by roughly 70 percent, and the average American has gained almost a decade of life. Climate change was recognized as an existential threat. The internet was invented.

On the problem of poverty, though, there has been no real improvement — just a long stasis. As estimated by the federal government’s poverty line, 12.6 percent of the U.S. population was poor in 1970; two decades later, it was 13.5 percent; in 2010, it was 15.1 percent; and in 2019, it was 10.5 percent. To graph the share of Americans living in poverty over the past half-century amounts to drawing a line that resembles gently rolling hills. The line curves slightly up, then slightly down, then back up again over the years, staying steady through Democratic and Republican administrations, rising in recessions and falling in boom years.

What accounts for this lack of progress? It cannot be chalked up to how the poor are counted: Different measures spit out the same embarrassing result. When the government began reporting the Supplemental Poverty Measure in 2011, designed to overcome many of the flaws of the Official Poverty Measure, including not accounting for regional differences in costs of living and government benefits, the United States officially gained three million more poor people. Possible reductions in poverty from counting aid like food stamps and tax benefits were more than offset by recognizing how low-income people were burdened by rising housing and health care costs.

The American poor have access to cheap, mass-produced goods, as every American does. But that doesn’t mean they can access what matters most.

Any fair assessment of poverty must confront the breathtaking march of material progress. But the fact that standards of living have risen across the board doesn’t mean that poverty itself has fallen. Forty years ago, only the rich could afford cellphones. But cellphones have become more affordable over the past few decades, and now most Americans have one, including many poor people. This has led observers like Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill, senior fellows at the Brookings Institution, to assert that “access to certain consumer goods,” like TVs, microwave ovens and cellphones, shows that “the poor are not quite so poor after all.”

No, it doesn’t. You can’t eat a cellphone. A cellphone doesn’t grant you stable housing, affordable medical and dental care or adequate child care. In fact, as things like cellphones have become cheaper, the cost of the most necessary of life’s necessities, like health care and rent, has increased. From 2000 to 2022 in the average American city, the cost of fuel and utilities increased by 115 percent. The American poor, living as they do in the center of global capitalism, have access to cheap, mass-produced goods, as every American does. But that doesn’t mean they can access what matters most. As Michael Harrington put it 60 years ago: “It is much easier in the United States to be decently dressed than it is to be decently housed, fed or doctored.”

Why, then, when it comes to poverty reduction, have we had 50 years of nothing? When I first started looking into this depressing state of affairs, I assumed America’s efforts to reduce poverty had stalled because we stopped trying to solve the problem. I bought into the idea, popular among progressives, that the election of President Ronald Reagan (as well as that of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom) marked the ascendancy of market fundamentalism, or “neoliberalism,” a time when governments cut aid to the poor, lowered taxes and slashed regulations. If American poverty persisted, I thought, it was because we had reduced our spending on the poor. But I was wrong.

A black-and-white photograph of a family in a car. The mother is laying down in the front looking up despondently. Two children are crouched in the back. A boy looks out from under pieces of furniture looking directly into the camera from the shadows.

Reagan expanded corporate power, deeply cut taxes on the rich and rolled back spending on some antipoverty initiatives, especially in housing. But he was unable to make large-scale, long-term cuts to many of the programs that make up the American welfare state. Throughout Reagan’s eight years as president, antipoverty spending grew, and it continued to grow after he left office. Spending on the nation’s 13 largest means-tested programs — aid reserved for Americans who fall below a certain income level — went from $1,015 a person the year Reagan was elected president to $3,419 a person one year into Donald Trump’s administration, a 237 percent increase.

Most of this increase was due to health care spending, and Medicaid in particular. But even if we exclude Medicaid from the calculation, we find that federal investments in means-tested programs increased by 130 percent from 1980 to 2018, from $630 to $1,448 per person.

“Neoliberalism” is now part of the left’s lexicon, but I looked in vain to find it in the plain print of federal budgets, at least as far as aid to the poor was concerned. There is no evidence that the United States has become stingier over time. The opposite is true.

This makes the country’s stalled progress on poverty even more baffling. Decade after decade, the poverty rate has remained flat even as federal relief has surged.

If we have more than doubled government spending on poverty and achieved so little, one reason is that the American welfare state is a leaky bucket. Take welfare, for example: When it was administered through the Aid to Families With Dependent Children program, almost all of its funds were used to provide single-parent families with cash assistance. But when President Bill Clinton reformed welfare in 1996, replacing the old model with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), he transformed the program into a block grant that gives states considerable leeway in deciding how to distribute the money. As a result, states have come up with rather creative ways to spend TANF dollars. Arizona has used welfare money to pay for abstinence-only sex education. Pennsylvania diverted TANF funds to anti-abortion crisis-pregnancy centers. Maine used the money to support a Christian summer camp. Nationwide, for every dollar budgeted for TANF in 2020, poor families directly received just 22 cents.

We’ve approached the poverty question by pointing to poor people themselves, when we should have been focusing on exploitation.

A fair amount of government aid earmarked for the poor never reaches them. But this does not fully solve the puzzle of why poverty has been so stubbornly persistent, because many of the country’s largest social-welfare programs distribute funds directly to people. Roughly 85 percent of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program budget is dedicated to funding food stamps themselves, and almost 93 percent of Medicaid dollars flow directly to beneficiaries.

There are, it would seem, deeper structural forces at play, ones that have to do with the way the American poor are routinely taken advantage of. The primary reason for our stalled progress on poverty reduction has to do with the fact that we have not confronted the unrelenting exploitation of the poor in the labor, housing and financial markets.

As a theory of poverty, “exploitation” elicits a muddled response, causing us to think of course and but, no in the same instant. The word carries a moral charge, but social scientists have a fairly coolheaded way to measure exploitation: When we are underpaid relative to the value of what we produce, we experience labor exploitation; when we are overcharged relative to the value of something we purchase, we experience consumer exploitation. For example, if a family paid $1,000 a month to rent an apartment with a market value of $20,000, that family would experience a higher level of renter exploitation than a family who paid the same amount for an apartment with a market valuation of $100,000. When we don’t own property or can’t access credit, we become dependent on people who do and can, which in turn invites exploitation, because a bad deal for you is a good deal for me.

Our vulnerability to exploitation grows as our liberty shrinks. Because labor laws often fail to protect undocumented workers in practice, more than a third are paid below minimum wage, and nearly 85 percent are not paid overtime. Many of us who are U.S. citizens, or who crossed borders through official checkpoints, would not work for these wages. We don’t have to. If they migrate here as adults, those undocumented workers choose the terms of their arrangement. But just because desperate people accept and even seek out exploitative conditions doesn’t make those conditions any less exploitative. Sometimes exploitation is simply the best bad option.

Consider how many employers now get one over on American workers. The United States offers some of the lowest wages in the industrialized world. A larger share of workers in the United States make “low pay” — earning less than two-thirds of median wages — than in any other country belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. According to the group, nearly 23 percent of American workers labor in low-paying jobs, compared with roughly 17 percent in Britain, 11 percent in Japan and 5 percent in Italy. Poverty wages have swollen the ranks of the American working poor, most of whom are 35 or older.

One popular theory for the loss of good jobs is deindustrialization, which caused the shuttering of factories and the hollowing out of communities that had sprung up around them. Such a passive word, “deindustrialization” — leaving the impression that it just happened somehow, as if the country got deindustrialization the way a forest gets infested by bark beetles. But economic forces framed as inexorable, like deindustrialization and the acceleration of global trade, are often helped along by policy decisions like the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, which made it easier for companies to move their factories to Mexico and contributed to the loss of hundreds of thousands of American jobs. The world has changed, but it has changed for other economies as well. Yet Belgium and Canada and many other countries haven’t experienced the kind of wage stagnation and surge in income inequality that the United States has.

Those countries managed to keep their unions. We didn’t. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, nearly a third of all U.S. workers carried union cards. These were the days of the United Automobile Workers, led by Walter Reuther, once savagely beaten by Ford’s brass-knuckle boys, and of the mighty American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations that together represented around 15 million workers, more than the population of California at the time.

In their heyday, unions put up a fight. In 1970 alone, 2.4 million union members participated in work stoppages, wildcat strikes and tense standoffs with company heads. The labor movement fought for better pay and safer working conditions and supported antipoverty policies. Their efforts paid off for both unionized and nonunionized workers, as companies like Eastman Kodak were compelled to provide generous compensation and benefits to their workers to prevent them from organizing. By one estimate, the wages of nonunionized men without a college degree would be 8 percent higher today if union strength remained what it was in the late 1970s, a time when worker pay climbed, chief-executive compensation was reined in and the country experienced the most economically equitable period in modern history.

It is important to note that Old Labor was often a white man’s refuge. In the 1930s, many unions outwardly discriminated against Black workers or segregated them into Jim Crow local chapters. In the 1960s, unions like the Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America enforced segregation within their ranks. Unions harmed themselves through their self-defeating racism and were further weakened by a changing economy. But organized labor was also attacked by political adversaries. As unions flagged, business interests sensed an opportunity. Corporate lobbyists made deep inroads in both political parties, beginning a public-relations campaign that pressured policymakers to roll back worker protections.

A national litmus test arrived in 1981, when 13,000 unionized air traffic controllers left their posts after contract negotiations with the Federal Aviation Administration broke down. When the workers refused to return, Reagan fired all of them. The public’s response was muted, and corporate America learned that it could crush unions with minimal blowback. And so it went, in one industry after another.

Today almost all private-sector employees (94 percent) are without a union, though roughly half of nonunion workers say they would organize if given the chance. They rarely are. Employers have at their disposal an arsenal of tactics designed to prevent collective bargaining, from hiring union-busting firms to telling employees that they could lose their jobs if they vote yes. Those strategies are legal, but companies also make illegal moves to block unions, like disciplining workers for trying to organize or threatening to close facilities. In 2016 and 2017, the National Labor Relations Board charged 42 percent of employers with violating federal law during union campaigns. In nearly a third of cases, this involved illegally firing workers for organizing.

Corporate lobbyists told us that organized labor was a drag on the economy — that once the companies had cleared out all these fusty, lumbering unions, the economy would rev up, raising everyone’s fortunes. But that didn’t come to pass. The negative effects of unions have been wildly overstated, and there is now evidence that unions play a role in increasing company productivity, for example by reducing turnover. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics measures productivity as how efficiently companies turn inputs (like materials and labor) into outputs (like goods and services). Historically, productivity, wages and profits rise and fall in lock step. But the American economy is less productive today than it was in the post-World War II period, when unions were at peak strength. The economies of other rich countries have slowed as well, including those with more highly unionized work forces, but it is clear that diluting labor power in America did not unleash economic growth or deliver prosperity to more people. “We were promised economic dynamism in exchange for inequality,” Eric Posner and Glen Weyl write in their book “Radical Markets.” “We got the inequality, but dynamism is actually declining.”

As workers lost power, their jobs got worse. For several decades after World War II, ordinary workers’ inflation-adjusted wages (known as “real wages”) increased by 2 percent each year. But since 1979, real wages have grown by only 0.3 percent a year. Astonishingly, workers with a high school diploma made 2.7 percent less in 2017 than they would have in 1979, adjusting for inflation. Workers without a diploma made nearly 10 percent less.

Lousy, underpaid work is not an indispensable, if regrettable, byproduct of capitalism, as some business defenders claim today. (This notion would have scandalized capitalism’s earliest defenders. John Stuart Mill, arch advocate of free people and free markets, once said that if widespread scarcity was a hallmark of capitalism, he would become a communist.) But capitalism is inherently about owners trying to give as little, and workers trying to get as much, as possible. With unions largely out of the picture, corporations have chipped away at the conventional midcentury work arrangement, which involved steady employment, opportunities for advancement and raises and decent pay with some benefits.

As the sociologist Gerald Davis has put it: Our grandparents had careers. Our parents had jobs. We complete tasks. Or at least that has been the story of the American working class and working poor.

Poor Americans aren’t just exploited in the labor market. They face consumer exploitation in the housing and financial markets as well.

There is a long history of slum exploitation in America. Money made slums because slums made money. Rent has more than doubled over the past two decades, rising much faster than renters’ incomes. Median rent rose from $483 in 2000 to $1,216 in 2021. Why have rents shot up so fast? Experts tend to offer the same rote answers to this question. There’s not enough housing supply, they say, and too much demand. Landlords must charge more just to earn a decent rate of return. Must they? How do we know?

We need more housing; no one can deny that. But rents have jumped even in cities with plenty of apartments to go around. At the end of 2021, almost 19 percent of rental units in Birmingham, Ala., sat vacant, as did 12 percent of those in Syracuse, N.Y. Yet rent in those areas increased by roughly 14 percent and 8 percent, respectively, over the previous two years. National data also show that rental revenues have far outpaced property owners’ expenses in recent years, especially for multifamily properties in poor neighborhoods. Rising rents are not simply a reflection of rising operating costs. There’s another dynamic at work, one that has to do with the fact that poor people — and particularly poor Black families — don’t have much choice when it comes to where they can live. Because of that, landlords can overcharge them, and they do.

A study I published with Nathan Wilmers found that after accounting for all costs, landlords operating in poor neighborhoods typically take in profits that are double those of landlords operating in affluent communities. If down-market landlords make more, it’s because their regular expenses (especially their mortgages and property-tax bills) are considerably lower than those in upscale neighborhoods. But in many cities with average or below-average housing costs — think Buffalo, not Boston — rents in the poorest neighborhoods are not drastically lower than rents in the middle-class sections of town. From 2015 to 2019, median monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Indianapolis metropolitan area was $991; it was $816 in neighborhoods with poverty rates above 40 percent, just around 17 percent less. Rents are lower in extremely poor neighborhoods, but not by as much as you would think.

Yet where else can poor families live? They are shut out of homeownership because banks are disinclined to issue small-dollar mortgages, and they are also shut out of public housing, which now has waiting lists that stretch on for years and even decades. Struggling families looking for a safe, affordable place to live in America usually have but one choice: to rent from private landlords and fork over at least half their income to rent and utilities. If millions of poor renters accept this state of affairs, it’s not because they can’t afford better alternatives; it’s because they often aren’t offered any.

You can read injunctions against usury in the Vedic texts of ancient India, in the sutras of Buddhism and in the Torah. Aristotle and Aquinas both rebuked it. Dante sent moneylenders to the seventh circle of hell. None of these efforts did much to stem the practice, but they do reveal that the unprincipled act of trapping the poor in a cycle of debt has existed at least as long as the written word. It might be the oldest form of exploitation after slavery. Many writers have depicted America’s poor as unseen, shadowed and forgotten people: as “other” or “invisible.” But markets have never failed to notice the poor, and this has been particularly true of the market for money itself.

The deregulation of the banking system in the 1980s heightened competition among banks. Many responded by raising fees and requiring customers to carry minimum balances. In 1977, over a third of banks offered accounts with no service charge. By the early 1990s, only 5 percent did. Big banks grew bigger as community banks shuttered, and in 2021, the largest banks in America charged customers almost $11 billion in overdraft fees. Previous research showed that just 9 percent of account holders paid 84 percent of these fees. Who were the unlucky 9 percent? Customers who carried an average balance of less than $350. The poor were made to pay for their poverty.

In 2021, the average fee for overdrawing your account was $33.58. Because banks often issue multiple charges a day, it’s not uncommon to overdraw your account by $20 and end up paying $200 for it. Banks could (and do) deny accounts to people who have a history of overextending their money, but those customers also provide a steady revenue stream for some of the most powerful financial institutions in the world.

Every year: almost $11 billion in overdraft fees, $1.6 billion in check-cashing fees and up to $8.2 billion in payday-loan fees.

According to the F.D.I.C., one in 19 U.S. households had no bank account in 2019, amounting to more than seven million families. Compared with white families, Black and Hispanic families were nearly five times as likely to lack a bank account. Where there is exclusion, there is exploitation. Unbanked Americans have created a market, and thousands of check-cashing outlets now serve that market. Check-cashing stores generally charge from 1 to 10 percent of the total, depending on the type of check. That means that a worker who is paid $10 an hour and takes a $1,000 check to a check-cashing outlet will pay $10 to $100 just to receive the money he has earned, effectively losing one to 10 hours of work. (For many, this is preferable to the less-predictable exploitation by traditional banks, with their automatic overdraft fees. It’s the devil you know.) In 2020, Americans spent $1.6 billion just to cash checks. If the poor had a costless way to access their own money, over a billion dollars would have remained in their pockets during the pandemic-induced recession.

Poverty can mean missed payments, which can ruin your credit. But just as troublesome as bad credit is having no credit score at all, which is the case for 26 million adults in the United States. Another 19 million possess a credit history too thin or outdated to be scored. Having no credit (or bad credit) can prevent you from securing an apartment, buying insurance and even landing a job, as employers are increasingly relying on credit checks during the hiring process. And when the inevitable happens — when you lose hours at work or when the car refuses to start — the payday-loan industry steps in.

For most of American history, regulators prohibited lending institutions from charging exorbitant interest on loans. Because of these limits, banks kept interest rates between 6 and 12 percent and didn’t do much business with the poor, who in a pinch took their valuables to the pawnbroker or the loan shark. But the deregulation of the banking sector in the 1980s ushered the money changers back into the temple by removing strict usury limits. Interest rates soon reached 300 percent, then 500 percent, then 700 percent. Suddenly, some people were very interested in starting businesses that lent to the poor. In recent years, 17 states have brought back strong usury limits, capping interest rates and effectively prohibiting payday lending. But the trade thrives in most places. The annual percentage rate for a two-week $300 loan can reach 460 percent in California, 516 percent in Wisconsin and 664 percent in Texas.

Roughly a third of all payday loans are now issued online, and almost half of borrowers who have taken out online loans have had lenders overdraw their bank accounts. The average borrower stays indebted for five months, paying $520 in fees to borrow $375. Keeping people indebted is, of course, the ideal outcome for the payday lender. It’s how they turn a $15 profit into a $150 one. Payday lenders do not charge high fees because lending to the poor is risky — even after multiple extensions, most borrowers pay up. Lenders extort because they can.

Every year: almost $11 billion in overdraft fees, $1.6 billion in check-cashing fees and up to $8.2 billion in payday-loan fees. That’s more than $55 million in fees collected predominantly from low-income Americans each day — not even counting the annual revenue collected by pawnshops and title loan services and rent-to-own schemes. When James Baldwin remarked in 1961 how “extremely expensive it is to be poor,” he couldn’t have imagined these receipts.

“Predatory inclusion” is what the historian Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor calls it in her book “Race for Profit,” describing the longstanding American tradition of incorporating marginalized people into housing and financial schemes through bad deals when they are denied good ones. The exclusion of poor people from traditional banking and credit systems has forced them to find alternative ways to cash checks and secure loans, which has led to a normalization of their exploitation. This is all perfectly legal, after all, and subsidized by the nation’s richest commercial banks. The fringe banking sector would not exist without lines of credit extended by the conventional one. Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase bankroll payday lenders like Advance America and Cash America. Everybody gets a cut.

Poverty isn’t simply the condition of not having enough money. It’s the condition of not having enough choice and being taken advantage of because of that. When we ignore the role that exploitation plays in trapping people in poverty, we end up designing policy that is weak at best and ineffective at worst. For example, when legislation lifts incomes at the bottom without addressing the housing crisis, those gains are often realized instead by landlords, not wholly by the families the legislation was intended to help. A 2019 study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia found that when states raised minimum wages, families initially found it easier to pay rent. But landlords quickly responded to the wage bumps by increasing rents, which diluted the effect of the policy. This happened after the pandemic rescue packages, too: When wages began to rise in 2021 after worker shortages, rents rose as well, and soon people found themselves back where they started or worse.

Antipoverty programs work. Each year, millions of families are spared the indignities and hardships of severe deprivation because of these government investments. But our current antipoverty programs cannot abolish poverty by themselves. The Johnson administration started the War on Poverty and the Great Society in 1964. These initiatives constituted a bundle of domestic programs that included the Food Stamp Act, which made food aid permanent; the Economic Opportunity Act, which created Job Corps and Head Start; and the Social Security Amendments of 1965, which founded Medicare and Medicaid and expanded Social Security benefits. Nearly 200 pieces of legislation were signed into law in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s first five years in office, a breathtaking level of activity. And the result? Ten years after the first of these programs were rolled out in 1964, the share of Americans living in poverty was half what it was in 1960.

But the War on Poverty and the Great Society were started during a time when organized labor was strong, incomes were climbing, rents were modest and the fringe banking industry as we know it today didn’t exist. Today multiple forms of exploitation have turned antipoverty programs into something like dialysis, a treatment designed to make poverty less lethal, not to make it disappear.

This means we don’t just need deeper antipoverty investments. We need different ones, policies that refuse to partner with poverty, policies that threaten its very survival. We need to ensure that aid directed at poor people stays in their pockets, instead of being captured by companies whose low wages are subsidized by government benefits, or by landlords who raise the rents as their tenants’ wages rise, or by banks and payday-loan outlets who issue exorbitant fines and fees. Unless we confront the many forms of exploitation that poor families face, we risk increasing government spending only to experience another 50 years of sclerosis in the fight against poverty.

The best way to address labor exploitation is to empower workers. A renewed contract with American workers should make organizing easy. As things currently stand, unionizing a workplace is incredibly difficult. Under current labor law, workers who want to organize must do so one Amazon warehouse or one Starbucks location at a time. We have little chance of empowering the nation’s warehouse workers and baristas this way. This is why many new labor movements are trying to organize entire sectors. The Fight for $15 campaign, led by the Service Employees International Union, doesn’t focus on a single franchise (a specific McDonald’s store) or even a single company (McDonald’s) but brings together workers from several fast-food chains. It’s a new kind of labor power, and one that could be expanded: If enough workers in a specific economic sector — retail, hotel services, nursing — voted for the measure, the secretary of labor could establish a bargaining panel made up of representatives elected by the workers. The panel could negotiate with companies to secure the best terms for workers across the industry. This is a way to organize all Amazon warehouses and all Starbucks locations in a single go.

Sectoral bargaining, as it’s called, would affect tens of millions of Americans who have never benefited from a union of their own, just as it has improved the lives of workers in Europe and Latin America. The idea has been criticized by members of the business community, like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has raised concerns about the inflexibility and even the constitutionality of sectoral bargaining, as well as by labor advocates, who fear that industrywide policies could nullify gains that existing unions have made or could be achieved only if workers make other sacrifices. Proponents of the idea counter that sectoral bargaining could even the playing field, not only between workers and bosses, but also between companies in the same sector that would no longer be locked into a race to the bottom, with an incentive to shortchange their work force to gain a competitive edge. Instead, the companies would be forced to compete over the quality of the goods and services they offer. Maybe we would finally reap the benefits of all that economic productivity we were promised.

We must also expand the housing options for low-income families. There isn’t a single right way to do this, but there is clearly a wrong way: the way we’re doing it now. One straightforward approach is to strengthen our commitment to the housing programs we already have. Public housing provides affordable homes to millions of Americans, but it’s drastically underfunded relative to the need. When the wealthy township of Cherry Hill, N.J., opened applications for 29 affordable apartments in 2021, 9,309 people applied. The sky-high demand should tell us something, though: that affordable housing is a life changer, and families are desperate for it.

We could also pave the way for more Americans to become homeowners, an initiative that could benefit poor, working-class and middle-class families alike — as well as scores of young people. Banks generally avoid issuing small-dollar mortgages, not because they’re riskier — these mortgages have the same delinquency rates as larger mortgages — but because they’re less profitable. Over the life of a mortgage, interest on $1 million brings in a lot more money than interest on $75,000. This is where the federal government could step in, providing extra financing to build on-ramps to first-time homeownership. In fact, it already does so in rural America through the 502 Direct Loan Program, which has moved more than two million families into their own homes. These loans, fully guaranteed and serviced by the Department of Agriculture, come with low interest rates and, for very poor families, cover the entire cost of the mortgage, nullifying the need for a down payment. Last year, the average 502 Direct Loan was for $222,300 but cost the government only $10,370 per loan, chump change for such a durable intervention. Expanding a program like this into urban communities would provide even more low- and moderate-income families with homes of their own.

We should also ensure fair access to capital. Banks should stop robbing the poor and near-poor of billions of dollars each year, immediately ending exorbitant overdraft fees. As the legal scholar Mehrsa Baradaran has pointed out, when someone overdraws an account, banks could simply freeze the transaction or could clear a check with insufficient funds, providing customers a kind of short-term loan with a low interest rate of, say, 1 percent a day.

States should rein in payday-lending institutions and insist that lenders make it clear to potential borrowers what a loan is ultimately likely to cost them. Just as fast-food restaurants must now publish calorie counts next to their burgers and shakes, payday-loan stores should publish the average overall cost of different loans. When Texas adopted disclosure rules, residents took out considerably fewer bad loans. If Texas can do this, why not California or Wisconsin? Yet to stop financial exploitation, we need to expand, not limit, low-income Americans’ access to credit. Some have suggested that the government get involved by having the U.S. Postal Service or the Federal Reserve issue small-dollar loans. Others have argued that we should revise government regulations to entice commercial banks to pitch in. Whatever our approach, solutions should offer low-income Americans more choice, a way to end their reliance on predatory lending institutions that can get away with robbery because they are the only option available.

In Tommy Orange’s novel, “There There,” a man trying to describe the problem of suicides on Native American reservations says: “Kids are jumping out the windows of burning buildings, falling to their deaths. And we think the problem is that they’re jumping.” The poverty debate has suffered from a similar kind of myopia. For the past half-century, we’ve approached the poverty question by pointing to poor people themselves — posing questions about their work ethic, say, or their welfare benefits — when we should have been focusing on the fire. The question that should serve as a looping incantation, the one we should ask every time we drive past a tent encampment, those tarped American slums smelling of asphalt and bodies, or every time we see someone asleep on the bus, slumped over in work clothes, is simply: Who benefits? Not: Why don’t you find a better job? Or: Why don’t you move? Or: Why don’t you stop taking out payday loans? But: Who is feeding off this?

Those who have amassed the most power and capital bear the most responsibility for America’s vast poverty: political elites who have utterly failed low-income Americans over the past half-century; corporate bosses who have spent and schemed to prioritize profits over families; lobbyists blocking the will of the American people with their self-serving interests; property owners who have exiled the poor from entire cities and fueled the affordable-housing crisis. Acknowledging this is both crucial and deliciously absolving; it directs our attention upward and distracts us from all the ways (many unintentional) that we — we the secure, the insured, the housed, the college-educated, the protected, the lucky — also contribute to the problem.

Corporations benefit from worker exploitation, sure, but so do consumers, who buy the cheap goods and services the working poor produce, and so do those of us directly or indirectly invested in the stock market. Landlords are not the only ones who benefit from housing exploitation; many homeowners do, too, their property values propped up by the collective effort to make housing scarce and expensive. The banking and payday-lending industries profit from the financial exploitation of the poor, but so do those of us with free checking accounts, as those accounts are subsidized by billions of dollars in overdraft fees.

Living our daily lives in ways that express solidarity with the poor could mean we pay more; anti-exploitative investing could dampen our stock portfolios. By acknowledging those costs, we acknowledge our complicity. Unwinding ourselves from our neighbors’ deprivation and refusing to live as enemies of the poor will require us to pay a price. It’s the price of our restored humanity and renewed country.

Matthew Desmond is a professor of sociology at Princeton University and a contributing writer for the magazine. His latest book, “Poverty, by America,” from which this article is adapted, is being published on March 21 by Crown.

An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the legal protections for undocumented workers. They are afforded rights under U.S. labor laws, though in practice those laws often fail to protect them.

An earlier version of this article implied an incorrect date for a statistic about overdraft fees. The research was conducted between 2005 and 2012, not in 2021.

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Essays about poverty give valuable insight into the economic situation that we share globally. Read our guide with poverty essay examples and prompts for your paper. In the US, the official poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5 percent, with 37.9 million people living below the poverty line. With a global pandemic, cost of living crisis, and climate ...
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Writing Prompts about Poverty

🔗 References

❓ Poverty Research Questions

📝 Topic Sentences on Poverty

🪝 Top Hooks for Poverty Paper

📍 Question Hooks on Poverty for Essay

📍 Autobiography Hooks about Poverty for Essay

📑 Best Poverty Thesis Statements

✔️ Analytical Thesis Samples on Poverty

✔️ Informative Thesis about Poverty

🔀 Poverty Hypothesis Examples

🔂 Null & Alternative Hypothesis on Poverty