Sociology Test #2 (Poverty)`
SSI
supplemental security income, provides minimum income to elderly and disabled, reform in 1996
Wealth distribution
US has greatest income inequality of industrialized, 10% earn five times more then bottom 10%, top 1% owns more wealth then bottom 90%
Extent of US Poverty (% in poverty, % age 20-75 will spend year in poverty, % year of extreme poverty)
2007 37 million (12.5%) lived in poverty, 58% people 20-75 will spend 1 year in poverty, 1 in 3 will experience full year of extreme poverty,
Measuring Poverty in US
1964 SS made poverty index indicating families spend 1/3rd on food, poverty level multiplying food costs by 3, changed by inflation but remains the same otherwise
$1.25/day, $2/day
2.6 billion live on less then $2/day, over 1.4 b live on less then $1.25
Food Assistance
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, aka food stamps), School meals, Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), 18% of poor young and 12% of school age receive no assistance
Strategies for alleviating poverty
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Food assistance
Lowest and Highest Poverty rates of HPI 2
Sweden 6.5%, Norway 6.8%, Italy 29.9%, Ireland 17%
Defining poverty
absolut-lack of resources leading to hunger and physical depravation relative-deficiency in resources compared with others in population
Human Poverty Index (basis and types)
based on deprivation of long healthy, life, measured differently for developed countries (HP1) then industrialized (HP2)
US Poverty & Children (% children poor)
children more likely to live in poverty, <1/3rd of US poor are children, US highest poverty rate for children compared to other HP2 countries
4 myths about welfare
people who receive welfare are lazy, welfare mothers have lots of kids, welfare benefits are given to people who aren't really poor, immigrants place burden on welfare system
working poor
people who work at least 27 weeks/ year but income falls below poverty level, lots in the US
Education and Poverty
poor children do worse in school, parents less educated cant help, cant pay for books, college
Housing and Poverty
poor more likely to live in substandard housing, without heating, ac, septic system, high crime areas, Section 8 housing- federal rent subsidies provided to tenants or landlords
Consequences of Poverty
poverty associated with poor health, poor more vulnerable to natural disaster and have fewer resources to cope, stresses associated with poverty contribute to other problems substance abuse, violence, divorce
Intergenerational Poverty
poverty transmitted from one generation to next, nearly half of US children born poor become poor adults, underclass is heterogenous includes whites
TANF
provides minimum monthly income to single parents, within 2 years of TANF benefits must be employed or involved in work like activity, lifetime limit of 5 years for families, 2 years for abled bodied recipients 18-50, unwed mothers under18 required to live with parent and go to school
US Poverty & Women (% women in poverty compared to men)
women more likely to live in poverty "feminization of poverty", 13.8% p rate for women 11.1% for men, poverty more prevalent among single mothers then any other family type, in other countries single moms get benefits from government
