Social Inequality

What is the “best kept secret” of the church? Why? According to the clip, the “best kept secret’ of the church is the Church’s Catholic Social Teachings. It is God’s special and called God’s people to a covenant of love and justice. I think it is the best kept secret of the church because the church has helped the poor in many ways and because of authoritative statements-?whether from church or government-?have less attraction today than acts of authentic witness.

Also is it will also make social sues which will make the Catholic church receive not so good comments so they do not let other people know the secret of the church. And doing good doesn’t need to be rewarded by other people, but to be rewarded by God alone. 2. Give at least 5 issues presented by the clip. A. Poverty because many Filipinos are “kapok” and uneducated b. Concentration of Wealth Because the poor thinks they are poor, they remain poor. C. Environmental Abuse The continuity of illegal logging that makes the Earth worse. D. Inequality in land distribution

There are many informal settlers in our country because they don’t have their own land and they can’t buy because they don’t have that kind of money. E. Social inequality The government doesn’t entertain the poor people because they know that they won’t gain anything from them, and the higher people or rich people help but only a few times. 3. Chi arch responses/actions on the given issues. In our recent times, the church response to this by having an outreach program or sometimes ask for donations to offer foods for those who are in deed. B.

Concentration of Wealth Because the poor doesn’t think they can survive and have a better life if they work, they don’t work. But then the church gives seminar to help those people to carry on with their lives so they don’t have any more excuses. C. Environmental Abuse Due to the continuation of the doings of the illegal loggers, the church and its people decided to have a checkpoint and the people were there to secure their place and to reduce the risk of the earth being destroyed wherein due to his action they were able to capture illegal loggers and to take back the logs they got.

Also the priests help in planting trees, which is also a good thing. D. Inequality in land distribution The church tried to help and give the poor people voice and maybe encouraged them to appeal to the court about their current situation of the land where they are staying now. Another is that the church provided the church to be the place where the people can have their meeting. E.

Social inequality When inside the church, there are no social inequality shown wherein all the people are together and are happy with being together and they all share foods to eat and it helped them improve their social relations. 4. Do you agree or not in the church’s doings? Why? Yes agree. Because the church are doing their best to help or to provide proper action in regards to those situation and it need not to be publicized. Doing something good does not need someone to commend you but to make the other person feel good and to know that God with reward you as well is what really matters.

The following essay is based on the movie Elysium which conveys a futuristic view of humanity’s evolution whereby Earth’s wealthiest fled the planet to preserve their way of life leaving the financially unstable and the sickly behind. Social inequality In the film Elysium Is constructed by depicting a dyspepsia society. This can be evidenced through the Imagery, architecture, agricultural landscape, language, Ideas, values and norms portrayed In the movie. Social Inequality In the film Elysium is constructed by depicting a dyspepsia society.

Elysium explores sociological themes such as class issues, poverty, immigration, over population, healthcare and exploitation, social inequality, mobility. Social inequality is depicted on earth whereby its citizens were classified as a minority group and were limited to their social status and class stratification (Elysium 2013). First we consider material inequality which was evident in the movie due to disparities of income, property and wealth. Secondly, inequality associated with employment and the labor market and thirdly, inequality arising from the lack of healthcare resources and education yesterday.

Social mobility Is the movement of an Individual or a group in a social position to upper or lower classes In the means of health status, literacy and better standard of living through migration to Elysium as asylum seekers to escape their socio-economic level as refugees (Dodd, J. J 2010). Attributes such as age, gender, race or ethnicity further distinguish people in terms of class and status in context of femininity and hegemonic masculinity, depicting the dominant social position of men and women in Elysium and on earth on how gender in terms of employment are resent on earth as well.

Most importantly how all these pieces of popular culture is reflective to the current Australian society in their similarities and disparities. Social mobility is essential to the plot of the movie as most of the citizens on earth aspire to a higher social class for a better standard of living (Dodd,J. J 2010). Social inequality is constructed in the film In the film by depicting a dyspepsia society. This Is evidenced through the Imagery of earth, the architecture of buildings In ruins, landscape, language, Ideas and norms.

The infrastructure on earth Is dilapidated, not maintained and cared for, the environment Is a barren wasteland with high levels of pollution from industrial outlets. Earth was mainly used for the manufacturing of droid’s where the lead character was employed for assembling them. Droid’s were utilized to police and keep order on the vastly populated earth. Lack of educational facilities on Earth affected children who became “dreamers” for a better world with an inevitable future of despair (Elysium 2013). The work force on these druid factories wowed the disparities of status in the employment hierarchy.

John Carlyle the CEO of Marlene, had a separate office whereas the employees and supervisors were on the floor. The CEO only Intervened when there was adherence in production. The character portrayed emotional detachment to the employees treating them as If they were mere objects. (Western, M & Baxter, J 2007). In Elysium, the environment had a very sterile and futuristic look, well planned and Idyllic to the citizens. Everything on earth Is In despair and decline, the rich on the other hand have every resource available to them in their paradise in space.

The landscape is beautifully maintained, two worlds is evident and the introduction of the movie constructs this accurately for the viewer’s portraying the severe inequality in the social class stratification. On Elysium the privileged strive to preserve their prestige lifestyle whilst on Earth the citizens are left to fend for themselves to struggle amongst overpopulation, poverty, low healthcare standards. (Garage, B 2002). Australia is an egalitarian society, however social inequality exists to quite a large extend.

There are numerous inequalities present in the Australian society which has a propensity to divide the community into different groupings (Heinlein, J, Passim, A & Passim-linseed, A 2014). According to (Garage, B 2002) Mar’s approach has been extremely useful in understanding inequality in Australia today. However, the revised approach from Erik Olin Wright argues that importance of education in the twentieth century led to groups arising whose economic roles were determined by educational qualification and expertise rather than work done with hands (Garage, B 2002). Inequality in

Australia is largely dependent on the differentiation of social classes. The working class represents the largest class in the workforce and the capitalist class the smallest portion of the workforce. (Heinlein, J, Passim, A & Passim-linseed, A 2014). In (Dodd, J. J. 2010) the possibility of upward social mobility is strengthened through belief in one’s own life and these ideas are re-inforced through movies and the American culture. Social mobility can be understood as the “movement of individuals and groups between different class positions as a result of changes in occupation, lath or income”.  Material inequality of the labor force and poor work management led to the main character Matt Damon being lethally exposed to radiation. He was given a bottle of pills but no proper medical care. Matt Damson’s character was exploited by the capitalist class for capital gain and once he was no longer able to contribute to the workforce he became a liability and let go. As a result of, the main character had no choice but to go through intergenerational mobility, a change in class position.

Social interaction is drastically sacking on earth, there is no face to face interaction. The robots act as authority figures and do not react in relation with the citizens. They follow standards of conduct and behave accordingly, showing no emotions which are key elements of social interaction (Furze, B, Saw, P, Bryn, R & Lie, J 2008). The belief of a possible upward social mobility is are reinforced in the movie and in the modern Australian society. Upward social mobility is central to the plot and the outcome of the story in Elysium.

According to Marx, class is defined as where a person stands in regards to reduction (Capital Industry) whereby the democratic society of Elysium act as the “bourgeoisie” who own the means of production and dictate to the residents on earth who are the “proletariat’s” and perform labor intensive and manual tasks. Both the bourgeoisie and proletariat’s had opposing interests leading to hostility and conflict. In Elysium the opposing interests between the capitalist and working class led to hostility and conflict.

The working class became impoverished and disadvantaged which led to a revolution for upward social mobility to improve their circumstances ). Another very key issue that was portrayed in the movie was the concept of ethnicity, looking at Australia which has a complicated history where Just under a quarter of its population are first generation migrants. It is a multi-cultural cultures of people residing together which made them feel a sense of belonging towards one another based on cultural similarities like language spoken, religion, food and lifestyle patterns.

On Elysium the residents were indifferent, all vastly wealthy and are almost white compared to earth. They built hierarchies and lassie people into categories mostly on the basis of class and status. Since they were wealthy they believed they were far more superior and smarter to the lower class thus forcing them to seek refuge on earth to perish or survive the atrocious conditions on earth. States that Australia is an immigrant society. Continual immigration has attributed to the affluent society that we have present today.

Assimilation due to the increasing number of immigrants in the Australian Society meant disappearance of many characteristics which differentiated individuals room each other. Popup, J 2002). Since Earth being a manufacturing and industrialized society, the idea of masculinity was interpreted and men were usually bread winners as hard labor was required. Femininity was constructed as the women on Earth were utilized in domestic duties and offered health care services to the sick and injured .

On Elysium feminism in regards to gender plays a pivotal role where Jodie Foster who plays the role of Secretary of Defense shows no tolerance to refugee/ asylum seekers and orders execution even before they reach Elysium . However, the CEO and the president are male in gender which portrays patriarchy depicting a male dominance hierarchy in governance (Bolton, T, Bonnet, K, Jones, P, Lawson, T, Skinner, D & Stonewort, M 2002).

The citizens on earth who strives to migrate into Elysium were a minority group which was further distinguished into small groups, in context with ‘mechanical solidarity Druthers stated that ” what holds these small groups together is a ‘shared collective” where there is not much differences in the beliefs of the society once they expanded (Day, G 2006). It was the sameness of status that the citizens had which made them work together as a unit through understanding each other’s values and norms (Day, G 2006). Staying on earth was not out of free will.

It was taken away from the lower class thus they were treated like slaves. Women were perceived as a minority group in context with class stratification whereby they did not have equal privileges in the society. It is understandable that social inequality does exist in the current Australian society however, the lower classes have the opportunity to halogen the set social order and improve their class status through upward social mobility. Education plays a significant factor as the well learnt can strive for high income earning positions that will contribute to their personal and capital wealth.

In Australia, education is available to people of all classes and there is no barrier to it. Thus, the opportunities and privileges previously available to the higher social class can now be attained by an individual from a lower class allowing them to be socially mobile and to better their lifestyle. Class and ethnicity play a significant role in the rent Australian society as it distinguishes individuals. Individuals in the same social class may not experience the same status as modern societies are more complex and can be stratified in several ways.

Many sociologists believe that ‘races” do not exist therefore have to find alternative groupings to study racism or patterns of racial disadvantage in the United Kingdom. There exist many differing theories but no finite method of determining the true cause of racism. This dissertation will outline the different theories used by sociologists and attempt to show the patterns of ethnic disadvantage present in Britain.

Racism is thought by many to be the notion that some ethnic groups are naturally superior to others. The Oxford Dictionary”s definition of the word ‘race” is

‘ A group of persons of common stock”

‘Human abilities are determined by “race””.

Although ‘Race” and Racism are defined in the oxford dictionary sociologists claim that ‘races” do not exist. They have considered the work of human biologists who in turn have studied the genes of many individuals that are said to be associated with different ‘races”. The results of these studies show that there is no distinctive gene that defines which ‘race” a person belongs to. Blood groups have been examined and results show that while some ‘races” have higher tendencies to certain blood types, no one ‘race” has been found to have one particular blood type unique to their origin. Due to there being no conclusive biological evidence biologists refer to different ‘races” as different populations. Any cultural differences are said to be ethnic differences, not differences in race.

There is a belief that if ‘race” does not exist then sociologists can”t rightfully use the term in their study of different populations. It is due to this belief that they must find alternative ways of analysing population differences. The history of ‘race” is important to examine in the attempt to show why ordinary people, known as actors, still think that ‘race” exists.

Racism is thought to have always existed. The Romans considered slaves as being inferior to themselves, but there has been no scientific evidence to support claims of superiority. In the early 18th century until early in the 19th century there was a progressive belief that there was basic similarity between all men, that social differences were due to the environment. This view was overridden by the rise of scientific racism where all social differences found previously were labelled and explained as ‘natural”. But again ‘race” has never been a scientific concept. It was due to this that in the 20th century political/moral reasons forced scientific racism into decline and was eventually replaced by cultural racism, which shares the same beliefs.

Racism is thought to be a set of beliefs and racial discrimination the set of practices that are synonymous with these beliefs. There are several contrasting views of racism and racial discrimination. The functionalist model looks upon it via the perspective of ‘race” relations, that racism exists due to the creation of bad relations between ‘races”. Due to ‘race” not existing, functionalists study situations that are apparent in society. They look at events which actors define as racial, and by this expedient they examine the processes of racialism.

John Rex a radical weberian believes in the conflictional view that competition over scarce resources in different markets is the cause of conflict between Afro-Caribbean”s, Asians and whites in relation to employment and housing (Bulmer et al, 1999:335). He say”s that it is not due to the lower wages which ethnic minorities receive.

The Marxist perspective focuses on labour relations. An ideology masking contradiction of capital between capitals” need for free labour and nationalism. Robert Miles, a hard line Marxist believes that class is the determining factor and all inequalities derive from class inequalities. Miles is very much alone in his claim but gives the example of the white working class fearing immigrants due to a rise in unemployment levels and a decline in standard of living. However, Miles states that the immigrants were not the cause of this. He claims that capitalism was. He states many find this hard to see because:

‘We are offered definitions and theories of racism which are so specific to the history of overseas colonisation (that is specific to the domination of ‘white” over ‘black” as so many writers express it) that they are of little value in explaining any other non-colonial) context”

(Miles, R (Bulmer et al, 1999:344))

Another Marxist theory focuses on wider relations. ‘Race” has no reality but can be used in analysis, this theory is concerned with racial politics and how they may be independent of class. Marxists who follow this belief say that groupings and conflicts intersect, and may not actually be connected with class.

With the term ‘race” being seen as invalid by many people the question has arisen. Are we better to talk about ethnicity rather that ‘race”?

Ethnicity is a sense of identity to a group that shares a common history. Ethnic groups are also held together by ties of language, culture and group spirit that are now referred to as nationalism. There are also territorial ties, although many ethnic groups had previously left their homeland they still share a common geographical link. The term ethnicity is often confused with ‘race”, again when talking about ethnicity there have never been boundaries whether cultural or geographical that clearly states the limits of ethnic groups, even though many believe ethnicity is naturally determined. The idea that ethnicity is ‘natural” is said to be ‘wrong”. Ethnic differences are cultural, we all have an identity, though we may not always be conscious of it.

There has recently been a revival of ethnic differences followed by reactions to discrimination and racial disadvantage. An example of this is Afro-Caribbean”s beliefs of what Britain would be able to offer them, these beliefs have changed due to certain types of discrimination and disadvantage. Cultural and religious issues can now be seen as more significant than economic inequalities. There are however some problems with ethnicity. Emphasis is placed on difference and cultural issues of power and inequality, therefore, ethnic groups may be seen to be fixed racial groups with another identity.

Racial disadvantage in the United Kingdom is visible in many different areas of the community. Employment, education and crime are just a few examples. Throughout employment, horizontal segmentation can be seen to be apparent via clustering. Ethnic minorities are more likely to work for themselves, graduates from these backgrounds tend to do relatively badly, many Asians are self-employed and Afro-Caribbean”s are largely recruited to the private sector. This shows that ethnic or racial factors are involved in stratification in Britain. Within the generalisation that, ethnic minorities are treated less equally, individual successes and inter-group variations are present. This is shown by vertical segmentation, Afro-Caribbean”s being placed at lower levels of employment than Asians.

When the ‘The Race Relations Act ‘ was amended in 1976 The Commission for Racial Equality was established to promote racial harmony. This was to try to counter the acts which had been enforced prior to the Race Relations Act of 1965. Such acts, for instance, as the British Nationality Act 1948 and the Commonwealth Act 1962 which where more concerned with restricting immigration than trying to promote good ‘race” relations. In the context of the recruitment of employees, the Race Relations Act 1976 stated that it is unlawful to discriminate:

By a company giving racial instructions to a personnel officer or an employment agency.

In relation to terms of pay.

By rejecting an applicant or refusing to consider him for the post on the basis of race.

These laws were enacted in order to try to increase equality in employment. As a mechanism to bring about change to employment rights the Commission for Racial Equality has made extensive recommendations to successive governments including a move to make ethnic monitoring compulsory for all employers with an excess workforce of 250. In the belief that ethnic monitoring is essential for progressing to racial equality.

Racial disadvantage has also been found to be present in the theatre of education. Before 1973 it was known that white pupils topped the performance list with Asians and Afro Caribbean”s coming further down. The differences in levels of performance were considered to be related to the duration of the pupils” stay in the UK. Newcomers would have experienced problems adapting to a new way of living and may even have encounter communication problems. Moving on to early 1970″s – 1980″s the focus of discrimination in education moved to examine the effects of class and the school at which they enrolled. It was found that ethnic minorities are more likely to go to an underachieving school than their white counterparts due to their class framework, lower income and location.

Curriculum was also thought to be a cause of the poor academic findings relating to ethnic minorities. The syllabus that the schools were offering was not relevant to children from ethnic backgrounds, a ‘white curriculum” concentrated on ‘white history” and the history of Britain. This was modified to give a wider education on the history of ethnic countries in an attempt to make studies more relative for ethnic minorities. With these problems tackled, education monitoring in the 1980″s showed children from ethnic backgrounds to be improving at a faster rate than white children of the same age.

Schools support the right of all children to receive quality education and fair treatment. The governing body of education aims to ensure that no one receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race or any other social/cultural labels. It is believed that racism can be learned from an early age but to control this unwanted learning the children must be taught respect for other people in-order that they might learn ‘rights from wrongs”

‘If segregation of the sexes or races prevails, if authoritarianism and hierarchy dominate the system the child cannot help but learn that power and status are dominant factors in human relationships….If the teacher and the children are each respected units, the lesson for respect for the person will easily register”

The Race Relations Act of 1976 again places barriers on education by stating that;

‘By excluding a pupil from the establishment or by treating him unfavourably in any other way”

is unlawful. Now in higher education a higher percentage of ethnic children stay on after 16 years old. This is encouraging but fewer now enrol at university, on academic courses and more drop out. This however can no longer be explained due to lack of adjustment since most were born here and therefore need no time to adjust to the a new community or learn a new language.

Within the Criminal Justice System racial discrimination also exists. It is understood that black people are far worse off at every stage of law enforcement. They are more likely to be stopped by Police, charged with serious offence, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned. They are less likely to be given lenient treatment for example, fined, put on probation, or allowed bail. It has been declared that in 1997 the United Kingdom had one of the highest levels of racist orientated attacks in Europe, and that 1 in 3 British citizens classed themselves as racist (Thompson B., Roots of poison).

Racial hatred and prejudice is an example of extremism, when cultural differences start being connected to ‘race” a persistent hatred can occur. Racism, it is argued, is a specific form of discrimination usually associated with skin colour and ethnicity. It involves the use of power of one group over another. When this power is unequal it enables those that share a particular culture to deny others access to opportunities, hence treat them in a racist way.

As well as being more inclined to be the perpetrators of crimes, ethnic minorities are also prone to be the victims. These crimes are not however due to ethnic background but are due to the social background of their class. Despite this, people are sometimes ignorant to this fact and state that ethnic crimes are more apparent because they are of an inferior race.

A Report by Sir William Macpherson that examined the Lawrence case (in which it was claimed that the police neglected their job because the victim was ‘black”), was published on 24th February 1999. In the report, which was presented to the Government and to the Home Office, McPherson revealed that the problems, which occurred during the case, were the result of Institutional Racism defined as;

‘The collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin”

It was said that institutional racism can not be used in the labeling of individuals but must be a label that is associated with the organization as a whole. It is due to the finding of racial disadvantage, that the police have set up ‘Operation Athena” to tackle the problems outlined in the report. The operation aims to improve prevention, awareness, communication, response and the identification of needs in the context of ethnic minorities.

The three examples of employment, education and crime are only a selection of the sectors of the community that show racial disadvantage. Although there is no finite definition of ‘race” there has been continual work to improve the social conditions for ethnic minorities. It is hoped that in the future there will be racial harmony between all populations and that ‘true” equality will be gained.

A. What is Social Stratification?

1. Social stratification is defined as a system by which society ranks classs of people in a hierarchy a. There are four cardinal rules of stratification: • Social stratification is a characteristic of society — non merely due to single differences • Social stratification persists over coevalss

• Yet. most societies allow some kind of societal mobility or alterations in people’s place in a system of societal stratification • Social mobility may be upward. downward. or horizontal • Social stratification is cosmopolitan but variable ( it changes ) • Social stratification involves both inequality and beliefs 2. Social Stratification is patterned societal inequality. It is besides the unequal distribution of social resources. Stating that inequality is patterned indicates that the differences occur: a. on a wide-scale footing

b. with regularity c. and along lines of certain specific. identifiable features ( race. category. and gender ) 3. Stratification is normally based on three major premises: a. Power: the ability to enforce one’s will on others

b. Prestige: the regard given by others
c. Property: signifiers of wealth

4. Patterned: if we know whether a individual or group possesses or does non possess certain traits. so we will be able to foretell with sensible truth how this individual or group is likely to do in the societal hierarchy a. Social Hierarchy: A set of graded positions

5. Social Inequality: Some types of people consistently experience advantages in society while other types of people are consistently disadvantaged in our society a. Some members of our society are thought of as rich persons. and others are thought of as poor persons. B. The finding of who is socially advantaged and who is included among the ranks of the socially disadvantaged is based. in portion. on certain features these persons possess and. in portion. on how society values or devalues these features 6. Social stratification affects people’s lives and can be manifested in assorted ways in society. 7. Social Inequality is a structured and systematic phenomenon that affects people in assorted societal categories throughout their lives. a. Because of this patterned inequality. societal stratification affects people’s life opportunities: • Life Opportunities: Opportunities that persons do or make no hold to prosecute in certain activities. and the chances that they do or make non hold to carry through certain ends merely because of where they are located in the societal hierarchy ( ex. Smart kids born into wealth vs. hapless households )

B. Caste and Class Systems • People are divided into different groupings and their lives are structured harmonizing to these groupings. There are certain things that some people can non make. merely because their station in life prevents them from being able to make them. • Other people. in a different societal stratum. are able to make these things specifically because they occupy a more favourable place in the societal hierarchy. • Depending on how much single mobility is possible ; societies may be classified as either a caste system or a category system. 1. A caste system amounts to societal stratification based on attribution a. A caste system consists of a fixed agreement of strata from the most to the least privileged. with a person’s place determined unchangeably at birth. B. The most extended modern-day illustration of a caste system is found in India. particularly in rural countries. c. Caste favoritism is officially illegal but exists however. The traditional castes of India:

• Brahmans: largely priests and bookmans.
• Kshatriyas: warriors. swayers. and big landowners
• Vaishyas: merchandisers. husbandmans. and skilled craftsmans.
• Sudras: labourers and unskilled craftsmans.
• Untouchables: Sometimes called “untouchables. ” they are ranked so low that. technically. they are outside the caste system itself. d. Caste boundaries in

India are reinforced farther by the pattern of ritual pollution or ritual turning away. e. A caste system may be determined by many cultural and cultural factors. European imperial powers in Africa imposed a caste system based on skin colour: all Whites were in a higher place or caste than any nonwhite f. Caste systems form people’s lives in four important ways:

• Caste system mostly determines business
• Caste systems mostly mandate intermarriages
• Powerful cultural beliefs underlie caste systems
• Caste systems limit out group societal contacts

g. Although caste influences remains strong in India. the state of affairs is altering due to communicating. transit. industrialisation. and the growing of a in-between category. 2. In a category system. societal stratification is based on single accomplishment a. Class Systems. Peoples who can be considered equals in society because of their similar life opportunities. similar life fortunes. and similar chances. represent a societal category. • In a category system societal standing is determined by factors over which people can exercise some control. and some mobility does take topographic point. B. In a category system. position incompatibility. the grade of consistence of a person’s societal standing across assorted dimensions of societal inequality. is lower than in a caste system c. Structural societal mobility: a displacement in societal place of big Numberss of people due more to alterations in society itself than single attempts ( Ex. Computer Industry ) d. Stratification persists because it is backed up by an political orientation: cultural beliefs that straight or indirectly justify societal stratification

e. Ideological support for inequality. An political orientation or form of beliefs justifies societal inequality in the Unites States. which legitimizes or justifies a peculiar social agreement. • Ideological Hegemony: Refers to the control over the production of cultural symbols. • One of Karl Marx’s celebrated quotation marks is: “the governing thoughts of any era are the thoughts of the opinion category because they control the mental agencies of production. • Thus. the elite has many arms at their disposal in order to maintain society and the lower categories under control. Two of the chief ways are the usage of force. and the mass media. • Force: utilize the constabulary. military. National Guard. FBI. etc. • In the long tally. it depends on legitimacy in order to keep stratification. • This is the belief that bing societal and political establishments are the best one’s for society. • All opinion elect uses their place at the top of society to make an political orientation. • This is a complex set of beliefs. values. and norms. which rationalize and back up the elite’s power and privileges.

• The dominant or most of import and valued thoughts in history have been the thoughts of the opinion category. • The Government or large corporations do non needfully command the mass media. but the opinion category does act upon what sort of information we get and what sort of thoughts we listen to. • Anti-government and Anti-business positions are seldom expressed. and Hollywood gives us its portion of who are enemies are: both foreign and in this state. • Most of the media gives the same messages of free endeavor. equality of chance. individuality. difficult work. and consumerism. • This political orientation. taught through the mass media. is used by the elite to confound. distract. and split the lower categories.

• Marx argued that the category in power imposes its political orientation on the full society. and that false consciousness occurs when people in a category accept an political orientation that is contrary to the best involvement of that category. • Marx argued that false consciousness will be until the exploited stratum develops a sense of category consciousness. at which clip the stratum will go a true societal category and get down disputing the governing category. C. The Functions of Social Stratification 1. The Davis-Moore thesis is the averment that societal stratification is a cosmopolitan form because it has good effects for the operation of society 2. This thesis implies that societies become more productive as they approach meritocracy: a system of societal stratification based on personal virtue

3. Criticisms of Davis-Moore:

a. It is hard to stipulate the functional importance of a given business • Some are over/under rewarded ( EX. Baseball participant. entertainer vs. instructor. refuse aggregator ) b. Davis-Moore ignores how societal stratification can forestall the development of single endowments c. The theory besides disregard how societal inequality may advance struggle and revolution ( instability )

D. Stratification and Conflict 1. Karl Max: Class and Conflict

a. Marx proverb categories as defined by people’s relationship to the agencies of production • Capitalists ( middle class ) are people who own mills and other productive concern • The labor are people who sell their productive labour to the capitalists b. Critical rating:

• Marx’s theory has been tremendously influential • His work has been criticized for neglecting to acknowledge that a system of unequal wagess may be necessary to actuate people to execute their societal functions efficaciously 2. Three grounds suggested why Western Capitalism has non experienced a Marxist revolution: a. The capitalist category has fragmented and grown in size. giving more people a interest in the system B. The labor has besides changed

• Blue-collar businesss. lower prestigiousness work affecting largely manual labour. have declined • White-collar businesss. higher prestige work affecting largely mental activity. have expanded c. Workers are better organized than they were in Marx’s twenty-four hours – their brotherhoods have been able to contend for reform d. The authorities has extended assorted legal protections to workers e. Supporters of Marxist idea have responded:

• Wealth remains extremely concentrated • White-collar occupations offer no more income. security. satisfaction than blue-collar occupations did a century ago • Class struggle continues between workers and direction • The Torahs still favor the rich

3. Max Weber identified three distinguishable dimensions of stratification: Class. position. and power a. Max Weber argued that societal standing consists ( Of three parts or dimensions: category. which he regarded every bit determined chiefly by economic standing or wealth ; party. which was tantamount to political power ; and position. or societal prestigiousness and award. B. Following Weber. many sociologists use the term socioeconomic position: a composite ranking based on assorted dimensions of societal inequality — instruction. business. income

• Socioeconomic position. Following Weber’s lead. modern-day sociologists frequently use the broader construct of socioeconomic position to mention to a person’s ranking along several societal dimensions. peculiarly instruction. occupational prestigiousness. and income • Education. Education can take to income attainment. but the benefits are non every bit shared by racial and cultural minorities. or by adult females. • Wealth consists of consists of the entire sum of money and valuable goods that a individual or household controls • It is more unevenly distributed than income

• assets. such as existent estate and gems. and • income consists of occupational rewards or wages and net incomes from investings • Occupational Prestige: Occupation serves as a cardinal beginning of societal prestigiousness since we normally evaluate each other harmonizing to what we do • Because there are so many specific businesss. sociologists frequently categorize businesss into a smaller figure:

• White-collar
• Professional. director. and decision maker
• Technical
• Clerical
• Blue-collar
• Craft. preciseness production. and fix
• Operative
• Labor ( excepting farm )
• Farm worker • If this strategy is excessively unmanageable. sociologists frequently divide businesss into two classs: white-collar and bluecollar. • The pink neckband is a class that reflects the segregation of adult females into certain businesss. such as kindergarten instructors and secretaries. • High incomes normally are associated with high-prestige businesss. but there are exclusions. • Sociologists sometimes use the term prestigiousness to intend the award associated with an business or other place in the societal system. and esteem to intend the award that accrues to the single make fulling the place. c. Critical rating: Weber’s positions have been widely accepted in the United States although difficult economic times may take to a renewed accent on the importance of economic categories E. Inequality in the United States • US society is extremely graded. but many people underestimate the extent of structured inequality in US society

• Power is besides unevenly distributed
• Schooling
• Ancestry. race. and gender

1. Sociologists normally conceptualize American society as dwelling either of three or nine distinguishable societal categories: a. In the three-class theoretical account. society is divided into a lower category. a in-between category. and an upper category

B. In the nine-class theoretical account. each of these categories is farther divided into three subclasses: lower-lower. middle-lower. lower-middle. middle-middle. etc. 2. Measurement of category. To mensurate societal category standing. sociologists have developed three chief methods: a. the nonsubjective method ranks persons into categories on the footing of steps such as instruction. income. and occupational prestigiousness ; b. the reputational method topographic points people into assorted societal categories on the footing of repute in the community category ; and c. Self- designation allows people to put themselves in a societal category. c. The lower categories.

• The upper-lower category. besides called the on the job category. consists of service forces. semiskilled secret agents. and other blue-collar workers who do non gain plenty to roll up significant nest eggs. These people are vulnerable to breaks in their income. • The lower-lower category is made up of people who lack instruction and unrecorded in the most bedraggled subdivisions of the community and in deficient lodging. • The lower-lower category may be divided into two subgroups: • The on the job hapless are lower-lower-class people who have occupations but who merely can non gain an equal income ; and • The inveterate hapless are largely unemployed or work merely on occasion.

4. Class. race. and gender. These three dimensions frequently interact to bring forth a person’s topographic point in society. the mode in which people are treated. and their ego identify. F. The difference category makes

a. Class and wellness
B. Class and values
c. Class and political relations
d. Class. household. and gender G. The Myth and the Reality of Mobility in the United States • Amount of mobility. Sociologists often focus on the intergenerational mobility of persons: upward and downward motions in socioeconomic position measured between the standing of kids compared to that of their parents.

1. Myth versus world

a. Four general decisions
• Social mobility. at least among work forces. has been high
• The long-run tendency in societal mobility has been upward
• Within a individual coevals. societal mobility is normally incremental. Not dramatic
• The short-run tendency has been stagnancy. with some income polarisation
b. Mobility varies by income degree
c. Mobility besides varies by race. ethnicity. and gender
1. Determinants of mobility
• Social Mobility: The motion of individuals and groups within the stratification system. a. Steepness of the socioeconomic pyramid: that there are non plenty high position occupations to fulfill everyone. B. Get downing place on the socioeconomic ladder: some people begin closer to the top than others. c. : the motion of full classs of people due to alterations in society itself. d. Types of mobility

• Upward and downward
• Intragenerational societal mobility is a alteration in societal place happening during a person’s life-time
• Intergenerational societal mobility is upward or downward societal mobility of kids in relation to their parents 2. Social stratification can be determined by a figure of variables. each of which can do person to be advantaged or disadvantaged compared to others in society. a. It is non needfully the impact of any one variable in U. S. society that leads to stratification – it is a alone combination of stratification-related factors that determines how one succeeds in society. B. Some of these traits are within our control. others we have small control over ( ascribed vs. achieved ) Who can state me which is which? • Major ascribed societal stratifiers: race. sex. and age

• Major achieved societal stratifiers ( instruction. income. business. faith. etc. ) SOCIAL stratification is the chief ground for relational set of inequalities in economic. societal. political and ideological dimensions. It is a system whereby people rank and evaluate each other. On the footing of such rating. one is rewarded with more wealth. authorization. power and prestigiousness. It is loosely organised into three parts: upper category. in-between category and lower category on the footing of power and wealth. This has resulted in the creative activity of a figure of degrees within our society.

Social stratification causes societal disparity and many jobs as it is an unfair system with monopoly of power and wealth in a peculiar group. It affects life opportunities. life styles and prestigiousness. It creates emotional emphasis and depression for the people belonging to take down societal stratum as they have unequal entree to wealth. power and prestigiousness. It creates a immense gulf between the people in footings of their incomes and a scope of steps associated with societal place. instruction. wellness. and psychological wellbeing. It is clearly perceived that disparity causes pandemonium in society. These are the faltering blocks in the manner to come on and development of the state.

Introduction

Social inequality is an issue that is much debated today within the social sciences, as well as other disciplines. Although very few would deny that social inequality exists and has always existed in human societies, it is not always clear through what mechanisms it manifests itself, along what lines it progresses, and how we can make life better for those affected by global inequalities. The question remains whether or not the world that we live in today is more equal than what people have experienced in the past. Although some might argue that Western development brings with it more equal rights, it is doubtful that this is actually the case. In recent years, we have witnessed a phenomenon called globalization which is, in short, a “widening and deepening of the international flows of trade, capital, technology and information within a single integrated global market (Petras and Veltmeyer 2001, p11).” Globalization has brought with it significant changes in the way people and nations relate to one another. In many cases, it has created new patterns of inequality, as well as reinforced old ones. The purpose of this paper is to investigate some of the effects of globalization and critically analyse them. I will argue that currently we do not live in a more equal world and neither are we moving towards greater equality. Rather, I argue that, through globalization, inequalities are exacerbated due to capitalism and the unequal flow of markets. This paper will look at how inequalities have evolved over the last two hundred years, why they have occurred, and how the pattern of inequality looks like today.

Kaplinsky (2005, p 28) and Jolly (2005) note that as early as 1776, economists such as Adam Smith became preoccupied with the issue of poverty and its consequences on inequality. During the 18th and the 19th century in England it was well-known that for every handful of rich aristocrats there were hundreds or even thousands of poor people. With the advance of industrialization, poverty only deepened (Jolly 2005). Karl Marx illustrated the problem perfectly by outlining the issue of the bourgeoisie owning the means of production, while workers sell their labour for minimal wages. Petras and Veltmeyer (2001, p 128) also stress that historically, a minority ruling class have used coercion and social institutions to control exploited people. Until the present day, this situation has not changed very much. Moreover, during the past decades, the disparities between the global North and South have become more and more evident, partly due to globalization. The movement of capital and trading agreements have mostly benefitted the developed countries, while the developing ones are forced to create economies that cater to the needs of the West. As Birdsall (2005, p 2) notes, “global markets are inherently disequalizing, making rising inequality in developing countries more rather than less likely.” This shows that we are not moving towards a more equal world. Moreover, even wealthy countries, such as the U.S. experience growing poverty rates within their own borders (Dillon 2010). Dillon (2010, p 60) stresses that “economic inequality has in fact grown since the late 1980s, as has the gap between the highest and the lowest income groups,” while Butler and Watt (2007, p 112) even call poverty rates in the U.S. “extreme.” It is evident from these accounts that unfortunately, unless measures will be taken, inequality will increase and dreams of an equal world are moving farther away.

The reality is that we live in an unequal world. There is an abundance of social issues that are caused by widespread inequality. Discrimination today manifests itself through the lines of class, gender, race, age, nationality, and other factors. Due to length limitations, this paper mostly focuses on economic inequalities. These are especially poignant when we look at the way people live in underdeveloped countries. This is a direct consequence of colonialism and the quest of the Western world to expand and develop their economic system. However, the expansion of the markets rewards only those who have more assets, such as financial and human capital (Birdsall 2005, p 3). Also, poor nations cannot attract investment and diversification, without a stable middle class and economic institutions. Consequently, the price of their exports declines and they fail to grow (Birdsall 2005, p 3). This is just an example of how globalization reinforces inequality. If markets are let to operate freely, as they do today, the world will become more unequal. Underdeveloped countries have not become more equal since interaction with the West has intensified. Beer and Boswell (2002, p 31) also stress that “disproportionate control over host economies by transnational corporations increases inequality by altering the development patterns of these nations.” Although some might think that international corporations can improve a developing country’s economy, this is not necessarily true. It is evident then, that the path that is nowadays advocated by many here in the Western world, does not serve the purpose of a more equal world. On the contrary, it exacerbates global inequalities.

The causes of growing inequality in today’s world are diverse and often not very easy to identify. However, the main cause might be the capitalist system that has spread internationally, oftentimes to the benefit of few and the exploitation of many. Trade between rich and poor nations creates patterns of dependency and unequal exchanges, leading to high income inequalities between the two (Beer and Boswell 2002, p 33). Despite the current emphasis on trade agreements and flows of trade that increasingly deepen, time and time again it has been stressed that this process creates inequalities and is detrimental to developing countries. In addition, the markets often fail. Some notable examples are the financial crises in Mexico, Thailand, Korea, Russian, Brazil and Argentina that took place in the 1990s (Birdsall 2005). Also, when a recession hits, the lower classes are the most affected. In turn, this leads to even greater inequalities between the rich and the poor.

There are many mechanisms through which capital and the markets contribute to a less equal world in our present time. Investment often causes disparities between foreign and domestic sectors. Also, international corporations usually do not reinvest profits in the local economies. Governments in developing countries adopt policies that prevent the lower classes from moving upwards, while at the same time they encourage the formation of a “managerial elite (Beer and Boswell 2002, p 33).” For those concerned about equality, it is alarming that neither foreign investors nor local governments fully understand the consequences of their actions. If this kind of policies will keep being implemented, levels of inequality will certainly increase. As Petras and Veltmeyer (2001) note, the politics of the Western Right are also at fault for the direction towards which we are heading. They say that the Right engages in “class warfare” through privatization and the concentration of power in the hands of few (Petras and Veltmeyer 2001, p 148). Thus, social institutions, as well as economic policies serve the interests of wealthy corporations. The focus of present neoliberal politics is not to decrease income disparities, but to increase the wealth of the few. Staying on the same course guarantees that the world will become less and less equal.

I have argued that we do not live and a more equal world. On the contrary, the globalization of markets has had a negative impact on the livelihoods of many. The effects of capitalism had started being seen a long time ago. Income disparities always existed between those who own the means of production (the bourgeoisie) and the workers that work in their factories. The income gap between the lower class and the upper class increased steadily with time. In addition, global exploration and colonization has led to even greater disparities between the West and the colonies. Under the current system, developing countries find it almost impossible to reach the same level of wealth and stability as Western countries. However, even developed countries have growing poverty rates within their own borders. These rates have been increasing over the past years, while the gap between the rich and the poor is widening. The world is becoming a less equal place. The free flow of markets and an unregulated capitalist system are mainly to blame for income inequalities. Poor nations have become dependent on rich nations and economic crises affect lower classes the most. With both corporations and national governments driven by profit, no one looks at the long-term effects that trade has on inequality. Moreover, the rise of neoliberal politics in the West encourages the maintenance of the same pattern of increased inequality and dependency. Despite the optimism of some, the truth is that globalization, as it is occurring today, is only increasing disparities between classes, between nations, and between the global North and South. The evidence shows that the world is at least as unequal as it was two hundred years ago. Current economic policies will only serve to make it less and less equal. If drastic measures are not taken soon, there is little hope that our world will become a more equitable place.

References

Butler, T. and Watt, P. 2007. Understanding Social Inequality. London: Sage.

Beer, L. and Boswell, T. 2002. The resilience of dependency effects in explaining income inequality in the global economy: a cross national analysis, 1975-1995. Journal of World Systems Research, 8(1), pp.30-61.

Birdsall, N. 2006. Rising inequality in the new global economy. International Journal of Development Issues, 5(1), pp.1-9.

Dillon, M. 2010. Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, concepts and their applicability to the twenty-first century. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

Jolly, R. 2005. Global inequality in historical perspective. WIDER (World Institute for Development Economic Research) Angle, 2.

Kaplinski, R. 2005. Globalization, Poverty and Inequality: Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Cambridge: Polity.

Poverty is the lack of basic human needs, such as clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter, because of the inability to afford them. . Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than others within a society ,or compared to worldwide averages. About 1.7 billion people live in absolute poverty; before the industrial revolution, poverty had mostly been the norm

Causes of poverty:

Education: Lack of education keeps children from obtaining jobs that would lift them and their families out of poverty.Often, children are kept from school because they are needed at home to support their family with additional income. Health: Poor health decreases the amount of work impoverished individuals can do, lowering their income and driving them deeper into poverty. The onset of disease, such as HIV/AIDS or malaria, can result in death (which can cut off a major source of income for a family), or high medical costs that many impoverished families cannot afford. Economics: The poor often have very limited economic choices – they are often prevented from receiving loans and other financial benefits.This makes it hard for them to establish businesses, increase their income, and break out of poverty. Government: The governments of many developing countries are often dysfunctional, unstable, and corrupt.

Lack of government infrastructure (public sanitation, schools, social welfare, etc. ) can be crippling for the poor. I. Types of causes of poverty A. Individual Poverty is explained by individual circumstances and/or characterstics of poor people. Some examples: amount of education, skill experience intelligence health handicaps age work orientation time horizon culture of povertyDiscrimination, together with race, sex, etc. B.

Aggregate There are two types of aggregate poverty theory: case generic. There is no agreement on which is the correct explanation of most poverty. 1. Case. Add up all poverty explained by individual theories, and that is equal to total or aggregate poverty. In other words, according to case theories of poverty, individual and aggregate explanations are really the same. According to these theories, aggregate poverty is just the sum of individual poverty.

2. Generic. Poverty is explained by general, economy-wide problems, such as inadequate non-poverty employment opportunities nadequate overall demand (macro problems, macro policy) low national income (Less Developed Country) If generic theories are correct, poverty is caused by one set of forces (general, economy-wide problems) but distributed according to individual theories. II. Case vs. Generic Theories of Poverty A. What difference does it make whether poverty is caused by case or generic causes? Answer: It makes a lot of difference.

Example 1: Suppose somehow we significantly reduce racial discrimination. Will total poverty fall? Case answer: Yes. Generic answer: No. Poverty will only be redistributed. ompensatory education. 1. If case theories are correct: Address the individual cause of poverty.

For example, if poverty is caused by inadequate skills or education, then the solution is skill training or compensatory education. If poverty is through direct test. 2. There’s some indirect evidence pointing to generic theories: For example, there is the failure of poverty to fall during periods of large training programs, and the failure of poverty to fall with rise in general educational level of population. Further indirect evidence later on in the course. 3. Most people assume case theories are correct.

Why? Micro experience (fallacy of composition — assuming that what’s true of the part must be true of the whole). Poverty scholars study the poor instead of the economy. Antipoverty policy would be too hard (expensive) if generic theories were true. Blaming the victim. A desire to help the poor.

If generic theories are true, how can you help the poor? ) Acute causes of poverty: Warfare: The material and human destruction caused by warfare is a major development problem. For example, from 1990 to 1993, the period encompassing Desert Storm, per capita GDP in Iraq fell from $3500 to $761.The drop in average income, while a striking representation of the drop in the well-being of the average Iraqi citizen in the aftermath of the war, fails to capture the broader affects of damages to the infrastructure and social services, such as health care and access to clean water. Agricultural Cycles: People who rely on fruits and vegetables that they produce for household food consumption (subsistence farmers) often go through cycles of relative abundance and scarcity. For many families that rely on subsistence production for survival, the period immediately prior to harvest is a ‘hungry period. During these periods of scarcity, many families lack sufficient resources to meet their minimal nutritional needs. Being familiar with these cycles has enabled development practitioners to anticipate and prepare for periods of acute need for assistance.

Droughts and Flooding: Besides the immediate destruction caused by natural events such as hurricanes, environmental forces often cause acute periods of crisis by destroying crops and animals. Natural Disasters: Natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes have devastated communities throughout the world. Developing countries often suffer much more extensive and acute crises at the hands of natural disasters, because limited resources inhibit the construction of adequate housing, infrastructure, and mechanisms for responding to crises. Entrenched factors associated with poverty: Colonial Histories: One of the most important barriers to development in poor countries is lack of uniform, basic infrastructure, such as roads and means of communication. Some development scholars have identified colonial history as an important contributor to the current situation.In most countries with a history of colonization, the colonizers developed local economies to facilitate the expropriation of resources for their own economic growth and development. Centralization of Power: In many developing countries, political power is disproportionately centralized.

Instead of having a network of political representatives distributed equally throughout society, in centralized systems of governance one major party, politician, or region is responsible for decision-making throughout the country. This often causes development problems.For example, in these situations politicians make decisions about places that they are unfamiliar with, lacking sufficient knowledge about the context to design effective and appropriate policies and programs. Corruption: Corruption often accompanies centralization of power, when leaders are not accountable to those they serve. Most directly, corruption inhibits development when leaders help themselves to money that would otherwise be used for development projects. In other cases, leaders reward political support by providing services to their followers.

Warfare: Warfare contributes to more entrenched poverty by diverting scarce resources from fighting poverty to maintaining a military.

Take, for example, the cases of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The most recent conflict over borders between the two countries erupted into war during 1999 and 2000, a period when both countries faced severe food shortages due to drought. Environmental degradation: Awareness and concern about environmental degradation have grown around the world over the last few decades, and are currently shared by people of different nations, cultures, religions, and social classes.However, the negative impacts of environmental degradation are disproportionately felt by the poor. Throughout the developing world, the poor often rely on natural resources to meet their basic needs through agricultural production and gathering resources essential for household maintenance, such as water, firewood, and wild plants for consumption and medicine. Thus, the depletion and contamination of water sources directly threaten the livelihoods of those who depend on them.Social Inequality: One of the more entrenched sources of poverty throughout the world is social inequality that stems from cultural ideas about the relative worth of different genders, races, ethnic groups, and social classes.

Ascribed inequality works by placing individuals in different social categories at birth, often based on religious, ethnic, or ‘racial’ characteristics. In South African history, apartheid laws defined a binary caste system that assigned different rights (or lack thereof) and social spaces to Whites and Blacks, using skin color to automatically determine the opportunities available to individuals in each group.Addressing the Underlying Causes of Poverty Building a more widespread commitment to overcoming poverty is an essential first step in overcoming poverty, and actions to address this are discussed below. Share the benefits of economic growth through an emphasis on more widespread employment. The phenomenon of jobless economic growth that increases income inequalities and generates too few jobs for low income groups poses a serious threat to the well-being of many nations, both North and South. Government policies should consider not only aggregate economic impact but also the distribution of employment.Socially responsible venture capital and microcredit initiatives can foster employment-generating businesses that complement the local culture and environment.

Rout out corruption, which harms society as a whole. Corruption, both in government and business, places heavy cost on society. Businesses should enact, publicize and follow codes of conduct banning corruption on the part of their staff and directors. Citizens must demand greater transparency on the part of both government and the corporate sector and create reform movements where needed.Broaden access to education and technology among marginalized groups, and especially among girls and women. The educational attainment of women has strong bearing on the well-being of their families, and efforts to improve education for women and girls must be strengthened. At the same time, steps should be taken to ensure that the current revolution in information technology benefits marginalized groups.

This must begin in school. Improve government capacity to provide universal access to essential goods and services, including potable water, affordable food, primary health care, education, housing and other social services.Governments around the world have made commitments to this through the 20/20 Initiative, which calls for 20% of national budgets and 20% of foreign aid to be spent on human services. But raising adequate resources through effective taxation and other mechanisms is often politically difficult. New mechanisms for public policy dialogue that enable citizens of all classes to recognize the benefit of universal access to key services must be put in place. Nonprofit groups and even corporations can provide essential support here, helping articulate a vision of a healthy society.These nongovernmental actors can also help in the actual provision of services.

Mental health is another area which is impacted by growing up in poverty. The stressful situations that often accompany poverty, such as divorce, death, job loss, or drug addiction, can create feelings of anxiety and depression that can last well into adulthood.Parents who are struggling to provide basic necessities are often unable to spend much quality time with their children, leading to low self esteem and lifelong difficulties forming strong relationships with others. Spending large amounts of time in poor quality daycare, a situation which is much more common among children in poverty, can also have a negative impact on a child’s emotional health. Once they reach elementary school, children who live in poverty often receive a substandard education because they are forced to move frequently or attend under-funded schools. This is one of the most troubling long term effects of poverty.A child who does not learn to read and write proficiently while in elementary school is likely to continue to struggle as a high school student.

With poor grades in high school, his/her prospects for attending college are seriously limited. Since career advancement in the modern economy is often tied to educational attainment, the lack of a college degree sets the poor child up for a lifetime of struggle. Teenagers who live in poverty are significantly more likely to experiment with drugs, alcohol, and risky sexual behavior. Poor teens are also more likely to engage in unlawful acts, ranging from minor shoplifting to serious gang activity.At a time when they should be laying the foundation for their success as adults, teenagers who live in poverty are often making bad decisions that will only serve to further complicate their lives. Poverty and Its Effects on Children According to the Oxford University dictionary poverty is the “state of being extremely poor,” or “the state of being insufficient in amount. ” This particular issue is, and had been a, problem in America fluctuating with the passing years.

What’s more is the effect it has on children living in homes plagued with poverty.Not only does poverty affect the child’s well being, but it impacts their education as well. In general, children from homes living under the poverty line have poorer performance in school. Such performance has also been linked as far back as cognitive and emotional development which is lower in poverty stricken children than those children who live in homes whose income is above the poverty line. Although data has not yet been gathered to give specific details of all the cognitive effects, especially in older children, it is clear that the effects are not only present but threatening to the well being of the children involved.So what is it exactly that creates a rift between children from low income homes and those living above the poverty line? For one, these children lack the stability that comes with a higher income home. This means having the things that other children have from adequate nutrition to weather appropriate clothing.

In addition, less income generally means there are less opportunities for educational activities and learning experiences. In this way low income students have less experience to draw upon when learning new concepts.As a result it can also mean fewer chances to apply the newly acquired knowledge, and in turn retention of this knowledge can be minimized. The census bureau of the United States routinely calculates the poverty lines for families during their census every four years. This number is not only calculated based on the total income of the family, but on other details the family provides as well. One such detail is the age of the people running the household, and the number of people in the family. The official poverty rate for the nation rose from 12.

5 percent in 2003 to 12. percent in 2004. The exact increase was some 37 million people. However, the good news is the poverty rate for children remained stable and unchanged. According to a US Census press release the Office of Management and Budget stated that “the average poverty threshold for a family of four in 2004 was an income of $19,307; for a family of three, $15,067; for a family of two, $12,334; and for unrelated individuals, $9,645. ” (2004 Press Release, 2004) At this point schools in the US are ill-equipped and ill-prepared for the influx of poverty-stricken children entering the system. The teachers lack the proper training to deal with a more diversified classroom as well as the means by which to implement an appropriate curriculum.

One of the key needs is support from both local and national government and their local school board teachers need to become more aware of the need to implement new types of lessons that cater to all students and allow them building blocks to use in the future. children who live in impoverish homes lack the kind of experience to draw upon for future lessons, as well as the opportunities to use the knowledge that they have acquired.It then becomes the schools duty to provide these children with these kinds of opportunities by implementing a more hands on, “learn by doing” sort of approach. In this way children can gain something of a jumping point by which to begin their base of learning.