Poverty

Lisa◦24 years old◦Lone mother of two (divorced w/ spurious

support from her ex-husband)◦Works at a call center and takes on extra

work as a cleaner◦Her mother takes care of her children◦She has plans to get a better job, move

to a better neighborhood, to lead a healthier life

◦Not dependent on welfare!

Lisa lives in UK, a welfare state which ensures that everyone(??) has enough money to pay for their basic needs and no one is forced to live in conditions of absolute poverty.

Welfare states differ in◦the types of benefits they provide for

their citizens◦Underlying philosophies

Underlying philosophies◦Providing a ‘basic safety net’◦Wide range of services available ‘from cradle to

grave’◦Minimal welfarestate where benefits are linked

to commitment to work

Welfare provision differs from one country to another, being more comprehensive in some than in others.

Why do people living in some of the richest countries in the world still live in poverty?

Back to LisaWhy is Lisa poor?

(individual/social)◦Her poverty and low position in

society are results of her natural abilities or a consequence of her personal upbringing

◦She is not working hard enough to overcome her difficult situation

◦It’s all structural

How does sociology evaluate which answer is more accurate?

Carol Walker, 1994◦How do people living on income-support

(means-tested benefit for certain groups of people who cannot work full time and do not have enough money to live on) organize their lives?

◦ Is living on welfare an easy option? Deterioration in living standards (unemployed

living on welfare) Life is a struggle; just getting by Food can be cut back when money is short Result of a traumatic event in life (loss of

job/partner/health)

Living on social assistance is not an option most people would choose if they were offered a genuine alternative.

OECD 2000 Report◦Along with Italy, Spain, Portugal and

the USA, the UK had one of the worst child poverty records in the developed world.

◦Child poverty rate > 15%◦Turkey, 21%

What is poverty?Absolute poverty

◦ Idea of subsistence, the basic conditions that must be met in order to sustain a physically healthy existence

◦ People who lack these fundamental requirements such as Sufficient food Shelter Clothingare said to live in poverty.

◦ Universally applicable concept◦ Any individual anywhere in the world can be said

to live in poverty if they fall below the universal standard.

Universal measure of absolute povertyCommonly used measure of absolute or

extreme poverty is the number of people who live on less then $1 per day.◦1.5 billion in 1981◦1 billion in 2004◦More than 40% of population in sub-Saharan

Africa in 2004Inequalities between vs inequalities

within countries◦Stark contrasts between developed and

developing countries.◦What if we compare the share of national

revenue that goes to the bottom fifth?

Relative povertyIt is not possible to identify a universal

standard of absolute poverty◦ Many people in the developed world that are

in relative poverty will suffer more illness and die earlier than wealthier social groups

◦ Needs differ between time and place, ‘culturally defined’

◦ Human needs are not identical, they differ within and across societies (for example ??)

◦ As societies grow, standards for poverty are continually revised upwards

◦ Relative poverty relates poverty to overall standard of living that prevails in that particular society

Even the definiton of absolute poverty is relative (changed over time according to available knowledge)

‘Poverty line’ to measure absolute poverty◦The price of basic goods needed for human

survival in a particular society◦ Individuals or households whose income falls

below the poverty line are said to live in poverty.

Single criterion of poverty is problematic◦Variation in human needs within and between

societies◦Some assessed as above poverty line when

their income does not meet their basic subsistence needs

As societies develop, the understanding of and standards for relative poverty change and are gradually adjusted upwards as societies become more affluent.

‘The invention of permanent poverty’

Measuring PovertyUse of deprivation index, not income statisticsTownsend’s twelve items – 22.9% of

population in poverty◦ Related to social exclusion – denying full citizenship

to people in povertyMack and Lansley’s Breadline Britain used 22-

item index based on respondents’ own definitions

Gordon’s Poverty and Social Exclusion was partial replication of BB and showed that number of households without key items had grown

Who is poor?Regional dimension – North-

South divideChild poverty – more than

doubled in twenty years from 1979 from 14 to 34%

Female poverty – women account for 58% of all adults in poverty

Ethnic minorities (Pakistani/Bangladeshi) due to high unemployment, low employment rates, labour market segregation

People in some social groups are more likely to be poor than others◦Children◦Women (feminization of poverty)◦Ethnic minorities◦Older people

People who are disadvantaged or discriminated against in other aspects of life are more likely to be in poverty.

Why are the poor poor?Theories that see poor individuals as

responsible for their own povertyTheories that view poverty as

(re)produced by structural forces in society

Murray’s work on the dependency culture – welfare state undermines self-help and personal ambition

WJ Wilson – economic restructuring hypothesis, jobs flee to the suburbs, fall in numbers of marriageable men, vicious cycle of disadvantage

Blame the victimBlame the system

Poverty as an aspect of social inequality.

Reduce structural inequality to tackle poverty.

Social policy!

Social Exclusion First introduced by sociologists to refer to

new sources of inequality.Continues to inform applied social

research, which aims to understand and tackle disadvantage and inequality.

- People who live in a dilapidated housing estate, with poor schools and few employment opportunities may be denied the opportunities for self-betterment that most people in society have.

Social exclusion implies its opposite: social inclusion.

Attempts to foster inclusion of marginalized groups are now part of agenda of modern politics (though how this is done differs accross societies).

Ways in which individuals become cut off from full involvement in wider society:◦Either by decisions lying outside their control

Banks refusing credit to people living in a certain postcode area

Insurance rejected because of personal history/background

Employee laid-off later in life refused further job due to age

◦Or by self-exclusion: ‘drop outs’, ‘non-voters’◦Be conscious of the interaction between

human agency and responsibility on the one hand, and the role of social forces in shaping people’s circumstances on the other.

Weak and strong versions of social exclusion.◦Weak version: Sees the central issue as

ensuring the inclusion of the currently excluded

◦Strong version: Also seeks social inclusion, but in addition tries to tackle the processes through which relatively powerful social groups ‘exercise their capacity to exclude’.

Factors that prevent individuals or groups from having the same opportunities that are open to the majority of the population.

Four dimensions to social exclusion

1. Poverty or exclusion from adequate income or resources

2. Labour market exclusion3. Service exclusion4. Exclusion from social relations

Labor market exclusion◦Work is not only important for an

adequate income but it also is an important arena for social interaction

◦Labor market exclusion, thus, can lead to other forms of exclusion

◦Not being part of the labor market does not only mean being unemployed Retired Involved in domestic or caring activities Unable to work (disability) Students

Service exclusion◦Lack of access to basic services

In the home (power and water supplies) Outside (access to public transport, shops,

financial services, schools, hospitals)◦Individual exclusion

An individual cannot use a service because cannot afford it

◦Collective exclusion A service is not available to the

community

Exclusion from social relations◦Unable to participate in common social

activities (visiting friends and family, celebrations, hobbies, holidays)

◦Being isolated from friends and family◦Lack of practical and emotional

support in times of need◦Lack of civic engagement (voting,

getting involved in politics)◦Being confined to home (disability,

caring responsibilities, pathology)

Examples of Social Exclusion Housing and neighbourhoods

◦ Large stratified housing market◦ Dependent upon existing and projected

resources◦ Both at household and community level◦ Exclusion can take on a spatial dimension

(Tarlabaşı)Rural areas

◦ Sparsely populated areas have less access to goods, services and facilities

◦ Transport is a key need leading to car dependence

Homelessness◦ No address makes participation in society

difficult◦ Mental health patients, young people,

others suffering from single or multiple personal disasters

◦ Most vulnerable to homelessness are people from lower working-class backgrounds who have no specific job skills and very low incomes.

◦ Long term joblessness.◦ Victims of violence on the streets but

excluded from the systems of legal and police protection.

◦ Provision of more adequate forms of housing

Crime and social exclusionThe standards of economic status and

consumption promoted within society cannot be met through legitimate means by the socially excluded population. (Remember young men stealing to buy their girlfriends diamond rings for valentine’s day!)

Labeling of the youth in poor areas as anti-social, susceptible to crime and intolerant of work.

Social exclusion at the topA minority of individuals at the top of society

can opt out of participation in mainstream institutions by merit of their affluence, influence and connections.

Retreat from public education and healthcare services; closed off residential communities.

Escape from their social and financial responsibilities into a closed, private realm, separate from the rest of the society.

Undermines social solidarity and cohesion, detrimental to an integrated society.