Poverty and inequality in the United States have been on the increase despite the reduction policies put in place by the federal government. The main aspects of poverty in the United States include the fact that it is more prevalent among the nonwhites and the lower class. The one-size-fits-all approach to redressing poverty in all states has produced negative results with certain regions being affected more than others. The inequality in the distribution of resources explains why poverty is highest among the African Americans and Latinos, and lowest among the whites. The discussion will focus on the two aspects of poverty in the United States.
A report from the Stanford Center on Poverty & Inequality indicates that poverty has generally reduced in the United States since the 70s (Burton, Edin, & Grusky, 2018). The development has been linked to the poverty reduction methods and policies being implemented. The strategies include access to education, affordable healthcare, rise in the minimum wage, and addressing the challenge of unemployment. These techniques and policies have culminated into a significant reduction in child poverty, for instance, from about 16% in 2012 to 13% in 2018.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Aspect 1: Poverty More in Low-Social Economic Status Groups
The same report , finds some discrepancies in poverty distribution on class, gender, and racial basis (Burton, Edin, & Grusky, 2018). Poverty has continued to rise among the low income earners. In other words, poverty continues to be high among the lower class members compared to the middle and upper class (Katz, 2013). One of the main explanations is the fact that the federal government uses similar policies and techniques across the distribution to tackle the issue. For instance, the increase in the minimum wage might not help many individuals from the lower class, because a significant number of the low income earners lack the skills, education, and competence to be employed. In this case, the strategy would be to address the issue of education and skills first.
Aspect 2: Gender, Race, and Poverty
The inequality in the distribution of resources also explains the rise in poverty on the basis of gender and race. Economic discrimination is a challenge that is yet to be fully redressed in the United States. The glass ceiling makes it difficult for women to exploit their full potential and to get certain job positions. Men are also more likely to earn more and remain employed longer than women. The resultant effect is women who are less economically stable compared to men. Racial discrimination has had a negative impact on the distribution of resources between whites and nonwhites. For instance, poverty is significantly higher among African Americans than whites. Wage discrimination also continues to affect the war against poverty. That explains why many individuals in low socioeconomic status live under $2 a day (Abramsky, 2013). Sadly, the challenge perpetuates because of various factors including ineffective poverty reduction policies and unequal distribution of resources.
Addressing poverty and inequality would require a paradigm shift of the policies and methods currently being applied. Applying similar techniques across all regions and persons might have counterproductive results. The goal would be to understand the causes and the best strategies for each region or state. Making education more affordable would have a positive impact, especially among the marginalized groups. The cost of higher education in the United States is highest among the developed countries. The challenge causes many students, particularly from poor backgrounds to dropout, explaining the lack of employment skills and knowledge. Promoting equality in the distribution of scarce resources and national wealth would also help in poverty reduction.
In conclusion, the main aspects of poverty are that poverty is more in nonwhites and that it continues to increase among the low income earners. The existing policies on poverty reduction have failed to redress the challenge of deep poverty. Having effective policies and strategies will help to address poverty among the marginalized groups. In addition, it is important to tackle the deeply rooted issue of racial and gender discrimination in the labor market. This coupled with affordable education, increased minimum wage, and equal distribution of resources will have a positive impact on the war against poverty.
References
Abramsky, S. (2013). The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives . Nation Books.
Burton, L., Edin, K., & Grusky, E. (2018). Poverty and Deep Poverty. Stanford Center on Poverty & Inequality . Retrieved from https://inequality.stanford.edu/cpi-research/area/poverty
Katz, B (2013). The Undeserving Poor: America's Enduring Confrontation with Poverty : Fully Updated and Revised. Oxford University Press
