Social Exclusion vs. Poverty Essay

Before discussing the extent of poverty in Australia, it is first crucial to mention the difference between absolute poverty and relative poverty. Absolute Poverty is a situation where deprivation is extreme because people do not have access to the basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. In contrast Relative Poverty is a situation in which the incidence of poverty is measured relative to things such as average weekly earnings or income per head. Therefore poverty, as talked about in Australia is the state where income is insufficient to meet the minimum needs of the household or individual.

This is a good example of how poverty is constructed as a social problem as if one is living in relative poverty, and cannot seek employment and is welfare dependent living off benefits, then the individual will be socially excluded in that they may not be able to afford to join certain social clubs, or get to remote public services and in general the issue of discrimination will stop people from joining certain activities and entering certain areas. ‘Social exclusion is a problem for society if there are those who are unable to take part in social relations, including in a democracy, political participation and involvement’ (Ridge, 2008:47).

The term social exclusion is widely contested (Parkin, 1979) as the term itself has no definitive definition. It is suggested the term social exclusion is used to refer to the term poverty or inequality (Levitas, 1996) as it has become the more fashionable terminology (Blakemore and

A structural view from Field (1989) and Dahrendorf (1987) who believe it is the structures in society that exclude people. Another, interpretation from the Social Exclusion Unit London (SEU) states social exclusion is 'a shorthand label for what can happen when individuals or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown' (SEU 1997). Pierson (2010) suggests that poverty, low income, lack of access to the job market, low or non existent social support, the effect of the area and the exclusion from services are all ways to socially exclude people from society. Thompson (2010) believes that social location affects people’s life chances, due to where people are born and where they live, arguing that people have no choice/control over what position they are within society and depending on their location within the structure

Scotland today is a divided society in many different aspects. These vary from housing to education however the basis of all social divides today is poverty. In recent years many social policies have been introduced to tackle these inequalities however some of which have been much more effective than others.

According to Suki Kim, the author of “Facing Poverty with a Rich Girl’s habits, learning how to survive physically, emotionally, and educationally in a world that was far removed from the style of life she was accustomed to was one of the biggest challenges of her life. Kim went from having a father who was considered a millionaire, living in a mansion complete with a governess to living in a small apartment in another person’s home within a short period of time. While reeling from the shock and devastation of losing all that was familiar to her, she also had to learn English, how to do everything for herself that

Research shows that socioeconomic status is associated with a wide array of health, cognitive, behavioral, and socioemotional outcomes. A person with a low socioeconomic status must often face challenges that create significant stress in their lives, with effects that begin prior to birth and continue into adulthood.

I was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 17, 1976. Being born and raised along with two other siblings by a single mother in New York was anything but easy. As far as I can remember, my mom had to work 2 to 3 jobs just to support me and my siblings in the harsh city of Brooklyn. We soon found out the reality of what poverty meant to us when my mom barely had any money put clothes on our back let alone feed us. I can’t recall what age I was, but I remember certain things here and there in doing what had to be done to survive in one of the most expensive states in the United States. I recall as a child collecting soda cans and bottles to sell for the five cent value they held once they were empty. We would wake up early in the morning on the

On a broader scale, the system of social work has a target area of individuals who are more susceptible to poverty. With the knowledge social workers can advocate for change/ advancements in programs to assist and better the quality of life for women and children; assisting those already in poverty and possibly preventing others from falling into poverty.

This essay will begin by defining the key terminologies used within the main text, beginning with the two definitions of poverty; moving onto the definition of social exclusion, and the reasons the term was introduced, debating the different types of exclusion. The central part of this essay will conclude whether poverty still exist, or has social exclusion replaced the term, as a bid for New Labour to gain power? Furthermore it will give general facts about poverty within the U.K and the extent to which it is effecting out lifes. Levitas (1998), because it is important to get a basic idea of the type of literature that is available. Levitas (1998) combines most of the literature on social exclusion into concise three models: Redistribution

There are two main areas for social inequality, one being the equality of conditions, the other being income and material possessions. (Lewis 2011) The poor are being blamed for their own poverty and have been labelled as scroungers who prefer to receive benefits than earn a living. In actual fact a large number of people living in poverty are working, these are usually long hours for minimum wages. Housing is also typical of social inequality, in particular the homeless or those who are in hostels. The poorer communities

According to Barnes (2005), social exclusion is defined as the condition by which individuals in a given society are disadvantaged than others depending on who they are. The various reasons to why some individuals are disadvantaged than others include race, ethnicity, where they live or migrant status, sexual orientation, descent, caste, age, gender, HIV status, disability (Barnes, 2005). Discrimination takes place in public institutions, for instance, in health and educational services and social institutions such as the household. Particular groups experience poverty due to social exclusion and this reduces the rate at which poverty is declines in a given society as a whole. Social exclusion can result in social conflict

Education and poverty is a difficult subject to explore. Many views are held when it comes to the value of education for the underprivileged and whether or not it is the key to removing an individual from an impoverished condition. “The Social Animal”, a book by David Brooks, explores this subject of poverty and education through the life of one of his characters named Erica. Erica comes from an ethnic background, from a broken home, born from parents who did not receive higher educations, and can be considered an underprivileged child. Brooks focuses on the changes Erica goes through in her life from elementary school, all the way to adulthood, and highlights the fact that she was able to attend a

Looking at the MDGs as the whole, poverty reduction was the central theme in the development agenda; it was aimed to cut in half proportion of the population living below $1 a day from around 30 percent of the developing countries by 2015 (United Nations, 2005). Even though these targets have been almost achieved; it was predicted that there are about 825 million of citizen still live in extreme poverty and 800 million still suffer from inadequate hunger (FAO, 2015). Thus, fighting against poverty

Poverty is the outcome of economic inequalities that are sustained by the social problems prevalent in our society. The lack of equal opportunities has created social margins where people in crisis are expelled to the economic edge. In a society where members are stratified by wealth and status, those who live in poverty are seen as deservingly powerless and ultimately abandoned to comply with their temporary crises as permanent. Economic segregation reinforces the unequal separation amongst social classes to keep the poor living in poverty. These are people who do not have the means to fix the conditions of their environment, therefore they remain stagnant in a state of submission and dehumanization, while those who are better off act