What Could Be The Cause of Poverty

Poverty has been proven to be one of the most feared situations by Americans, but poverty is also known to deprive all the hope and dignity a person may think they have (Kafka 40). Dignity and hope are often the last resort a person mentally can rely on before fully collapsing into the closing realm of poverty around them.

Although poverty is seen to affect only a small portion of unfortunate people, it has become an under looked issue in the world affecting many people. As for the ways it can affect people ranges, but many fall below the poverty line due to decisions that are out of their control. People born in to lower educated families, have a higher chance to end up below the poverty line rather than highly educated families (Whitman 3). Poverty is a problem that effects the homeless and single families; to stop poverty there needs to be prevention programs, more government assistance, and the help of employers.

While some people believe that poverty is caused by self-inflicted problems, there is evidence to prove that there are more causes for the issue. From Money issues to common sense, the skills needed to perform in the world come from many sources of life, although there are basic values learned through education that allow many to grow throughout life. Studies have shown that families based on lower education values are the most likely subjects to fall below the poverty line (Whitman 3).

Without education present in a child hood, there is no opportunity available for children to explore different paths of life which ultimately will lead to career decisions and choices. Whitman explains that “In 2009, High School dropouts earned an average salary of $19,915 after school, while high school graduates earned $29,448, and college graduates earned $54,689 (Whitman 5). Although there is no evidence to directly link the levels of education and the amount of money earned, the numbers certainly do show.

As the salary difference between high school drop outs and college graduates is more than thirty thousand dollars. Without a sufficient education, there are less opportunities to secure a job that will pay enough to support anyone, let alone a family. Karen Steinman explains that “Without proper education, it is hard for even the hardest working person to find a job that pays enough money to support a family as employers look for certain skills in their work force that are obtained through schooling” (Steinman 27). As Steinman emphasizes, education is the most necessary trait to securing a high paying job, and without it families struggle to grow and afford the necessities of an education.

There is nothing more challenging than trying to succeed while at work or at school if you lack the necessities to have a balanced day. The child who goes to bed hungry will wake up unable to focus, which can cause an increase poor performance (Axelrod-Contrada 6). While many people may not realize the effects of not eating, the human body needs energy to work to its peak performance. This doesn’t have to be obtained from food, but it can result from other things.

The energy that is needed can come from multiple different ways, but many people lack the ability to obtain these sources. As H.W. Doole wrote in his book, “Loneliness, Restlessness, and overworkness are causes and results of poverty” (Doole 7). When people aren’t happy, it can cause a spiral downfall of depression and not having the will to work for money. And as said before, the lack of money can result in a downfall to poverty.

Many people have a common assumption that poverty affects low income community’s, and while it does, there is one specific community that is affected by poverty the hardest. Homelessness is the circumstance when people are without a permanent living space, such as a house or apartment (Doole 12). Poverty has become one of the most underlying causes of homelessness.

The homeless community is perceived to consist of many residents who have landed themselves in the poverty they are experiencing. But as talked about before, many of the affected work their way down the levels of poverty before hitting the lowest level; homelessness.

The range of ages of the homeless have hit an all-time high in recent years where the highest populated age range is from eighteen to seventy-five years old (Axelrod-Contrada 56). As spoken about before, many of the affected have been born into low income families which often leads to the poverty-stricken life. However, many of the affected have also made decisions that have directly put them in the position to reach the homeless definition. Decisions that involve money and often drug intake, can induce poverty into someone’s life (Doak 123).

Poor people often have a hard time deciding where to spend their money correctly and what the most effective way to spend it should be. In addition, many of the homeless have no reliable income, and with that there is no way to climb back to a steady point in life. With no reliable income, many individuals go without food, water, or even shelter for long periods of time. Without food or water, there is no source of energy that is needed to live a productive life (Axelrod-Contrada 97). Not having food not only relates to tiredness, but it also can relate to laziness which is an important factor on deciding the length an individual could be homeless.

Cite this page