Poverty

After this class you should be able to:
Explain the problems in drawing the poverty line and how poverty is related to geography, race-ethnicity, education, feminization, and age
Explain why people are poor and how deferred gratification is related to poverty, and comment on the Horatio Alger myth

What are some issues with the poverty line?
Poor people actually only spend about ⅕ of their income on food - so to determine poverty line we should be multiplying their food budget by 5 instead of by 3 to reach this ‘poverty line Mothers who work outside the home and have to pay for child care are treated the same as mothers who don’t have this expense


Explain the geography of poverty
Poverty varies by region - especially clustering of poverty in the South - it has been this way for over 150 yearsAnother pattern - rural poverty - lower education of the rural poor and the scarcity of rural jobs leads to this trend


In addition to geography, what other factors influence poverty?





Notes on education and poverty
this principle applies regardless of race-ethnicity




Why, for example, might an African American family be at a disadvantage against a white family in terms of family history of wealth?




Notes on family structure and poverty
Families headed by both a mother and father are least likely to be poorFamilies headed by only a mother are most likely to be poor




What are the three explanations for poverty? (AND explain each briefly)




What is deferred gratification?





SS.Inq3
Develop claims using evidence to support reasoning


What do you think is the way to go? Instant, or delayed gratification? Explain your answer with evidence to support your claim.




The Horatio Alger myth says what?





SS.Inq3
Develop claims using evidence to support reasoning


WHY are most people not ACTUALLY ‘self-made’? (From video on slide 20). Cite evidence to support your claim.