According to the United States Census Bureau in 2016, 40.6 million people were living in poverty. That is 12.7 percent of the U.S. population (Semega, Fontenot, & Kollar, 2017). The United States has often been thought of as the land of opportunity, but for many individuals and families that does not seem to be a reality any longer. Poverty is a complex social problem. A social problem that extends farther than individuals simply living below the federal government established poverty line. This paper will first examine the issue of poverty, then will attempt to explain the occurrence of poverty by applying two of sociology’s major theoretical perspectives to the concept.
Poverty is a multidimensional issue. It is characterized by multiple factors and deprivations (Mowafi & Khawaja, 2005). There is more to it than income inequality; more than what it appears on the surface. It is deprivation of not only a lack of material goods, but deprivation of important areas such as social capital, skills, knowledge, power, and voice (Mowafi & Khawaja, 2005). Every aspect of life is affected by poverty, and individuals are affected in very adverse ways. Poverty also leads to more social problems. Some of the biggest problems linked to poverty include poor health, homelessness, substandard housing, crime & punishment, lower education, and political alienation (Macionis, 2015, pp. 45-47).
Poor individuals are unable to afford proper healthcare, and lack the ability to afford a healthy lifestyle. This means increased stress, poor physical & mental health, and a lower life expectancy. Children living in poverty are even more negatively affected. They often lack access to a good education, suffer from malnutrition, and delayed development. All problems that will affect their lives into adulthood. Good health is vital to a person’s life and to society. Unfortunately, a higher percentage of poor than nonpoor individuals are arrested, convicted, and incarcerated for violent crimes. Poor individuals are more likely to be victims of violent crimes as well (Lichter & Crowley, 2002). The problems individuals face at the hand of poverty are dynamic and life altering.
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In order to better understand poverty and its effects it is important to know who are the poor. Data gathered has made it possible to determine a profile of the poor. Children are at the greatest risk of poverty. In 2016, the poverty rate for children under the age of 18 was 18.0 percent (Semega, Fontenot, & Kollar, 2017). Single women with children are also the most susceptible to poverty. Women are more likely to be the ones to take care of children. Childcare is expensive, and with single income families having less income to spend they often cannot afford decent childcare, meaning they are unable to get a full-time job. Rural areas in the south have a higher concentration of poor individuals. The reason for this is because these areas have less education and job opportunities. There are less jobs available that provide a sustainable wage (Macionis, 2015, p. 43). This profile that has been developed does not include every individual affected by poverty, but it allows the most vulnerable to be given the attention needed to make sure that they will be able to receive the help required.
The government has taken numerous efforts to bring an end to poverty. One important change was in 1933, when President Franklin Roosevelt began the New Deal. A program designed to help those suffering from the Great Depression. This was the start of many new government programs, the most significant being Social Security (Macionis, 2015, p. 50). Another important attempt was in 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson declared the “war on poverty” in his State of the Union address. This declaration was the start of many more government programs including Medicaid, Head Start, food stamps, and Job Corps. In 1990s, President Bill Clinton began the welfare reform. The welfare reform was a way to require individuals on welfare to increase their own responsibility at finding a job, and to reduce welfare dependency (Blank, 2000).
In the United States, the poverty line is said to be set at an inadequate level. It is set at a level that is below an amount that families can sufficiently live on. This can and will cause problems, since these guidelines play a big part in determining families eligibility for certain federal programs (Pitzl, 2006). If a family’s income is slightly above the poverty line, they will be unable to qualify for government assistance, even if they are not making enough to support their family. The government poverty line and programs have frequently been criticized for not doing enough and even criticized for doing too much. Those against welfare believe that individual abuse the benefits of welfare, and should take responsibility for their own self. Those for welfare believe that the government should actually be doing more to help those living in poverty by raising income. An individual’s view on poverty affects how they feel about helping those living in poverty.
Theoretical perspectives in sociology provides insights to help explain and analyze social problems. The perspectives can be used by sociologists to guide theory and research (Macionis, 2015, p. 12). By applying these perspectives, sociologists are able to see social problems from a new viewpoint, and ask questions to better understand the social problems. One important question regularly asked when poverty is researched is “Why does poverty occur in the first place?” For many individuals poverty is a complex problem without a clear concrete resolution. It is important to understand why a problem exists before attempting to solve it. When it is understood why poverty is occurring, it will be more probable to find a resolution that is more concrete and more effective for a helping those living in poverty. Theoretical perspectives allow sociologists to do exactly that.
Social-conflict theory is one of the primary theoretical perspectives in sociology. This is a macro-level perspective, meaning it looks at the big picture or it views society by the larger interactions that allow it to function. Essentially it views society as being divided by inequality and conflict (Macionis, 2015, p. 13). Society is separated by the conflict of those who are privileged and those who are under-privileged. Karl Marx greatly influenced this approach with his views about capitalism, and theory of class struggle. Marx believed that capitalism exists to only serve a select few, and it creates social problems through the inequality it creates. Conflict is not only created from class struggles, but from race and ethnicity as well. While this approach has gained popularity over the years, it has limitations. A common criticism against this approach is that it exaggerates the amount of social divisions in society. Critics claim that progress has been made and there are more opportunities available to all. Another criticism is that this approach is more political and rejects scientific objectivity (Macionis, 2015, p. 15).
When applied, the social-conflict approach views poverty in society as the consequence of the capitalist economic system. The overall operation of society is the blame for poverty, not the poor themselves. It is thought that the richer get richer and the poor get poorer. Capitalism makes it possible for the rich to oppress the poor. One explanation of these ideas is the thought that capitalism has no assurance that everyone who needs a job will be able get one, and no assurance that the jobs available will provide a sustainable wage (Manicas, 2006). Additionally, the social-conflict approach provides the insight that the poor encounter low levels of cultural capital, and minorities face more disadvantages related to poverty. This insight helps to further explain poverty and its effects. The poor and minorities are viewed as having less opportunities then those born into wealthy families. Lott and Bullock (2001) argue that the problem for our society is structural inequality, not dysfunctional families. According to the social-conflict theory the resolution to poverty is to overthrow the capitalist economic system. By getting rid of capitalism reducing inequality and conflict will be more conceivable. Society does not always work in favor of every individual, and there will always be conflict and inequality unless that changes.
Symbolic-interaction theory is an additional primary theoretical perspective in sociology. This is micro-level perspective, meaning it looks at the smaller picture or the interactions individuals have with others in specific situations. This approach sees society as being created and maintained through repeated interactions among individuals. Language and symbols are what makes communication possible with others (Carter & Fuller, 2015). Society is then constructed through social interactions. Individuals learn their behaviors and attitudes from interactions. This approach claims that problems become problems because individuals give them meaning and define them as being such. It is easy to see why this approach has limitations. The criticism of this theory is that is overlooks the larger social structures that influence individual’s lives (Macionis, 2015, p. 16). Being a micro-level perspective it can be too narrow in its explanations.
When the symbolic-interaction perspective is applied to poverty the viewpoint is focused on how individuals define the issue of poverty. Since individuals give meaning to different problems, then the cause of poverty depends on how an individual views it. One common viewpoint of the cause of poverty is to blame the victim. This is the belief that individuals are the cause of their own poverty and suffering. The opposite of this viewpoint is the belief that individuals are living in poverty at no fault of their own, and society is to blame (Macionis, 2015, p. 53). Ryan (1976) argues the viewpoint of blaming the victim can be dangerous and does little to actually solve the social problems that everyone knows exist. This is where the limitations of this perspective makes themselves known even more. This approach does not provide a clear cut resolution to the cause of poverty, but is provides helpful insights. Society’s definition of poverty depends on how individuals view poverty.
Poverty is an integrated aspect of society and individual’s lives. Millions of individuals are being affected by this social problem. It is evident that the issue is more than income inequality. Poverty changes the very means individuals have to live their life, and opportunities are limited for those living in poverty. Poverty is complicated. Theoretical perspectives in sociology provide only a glimpse of why poverty occurs. What is important now and for the future is that individuals listen to what poor individuals have to say about their circumstances, experiences, strengths, skills, values, and barriers (Bullock & Lott, 2001). Individuals living in poverty are in the best position to tell about their experiences. Changes cannot be taken until the social problem is acknowledged and individuals have realized how important the change is needed for resolving the problem.
