The number of children in poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand 2016 has become an enormouse problem. As of 2013 one in four children is in a household that lacks enough income for basic needs like being able to heat their house, own a decent pair of shoes or purchase fruit and vegetables too consume (Perry, 2013, p213). Since the election of the current National Party lead government six years ago, 35,000 more children are living in poverty-stricken lives. As with other governments facing similar problems, such as Australia and .. there is now discussion within different political parties within New Zealand about how the people in political power can reduce the number of children in poverty. A social issue can often be hard to define, whether it is a private or public issue is often one of great debate. The use of social policy is used to create a collective response to perceived problems surrounding equality, gender, disability, ethnicity, power, freedom and sustainability. The significant increase of children in poverty is of interest because of clashing views of different political debates about how to improve the wellbeing for the children that are living in these unhealthy standards. All parties involved in these debates have both positive and negative opinions on how this can be achieved. This essay will argue that the Green Party of New Zealand, with their social democratic set of beliefs have the potential to positively impact the lives of children in poverty. The essay
The Toronto Star published an article reporting that Toronto currently has the highest rate of children living in households that are considered low income in Canada (Monsebraaten, 2015). The article reports that in Toronto the child poverty rate is higher than the poverty rate of any other age group. This paper will discuss child poverty, how this is a challenge to public health practices and policies, and finally, discuss potential solutions for public policy that address this issue.
The United States is the richest nation, yet millions of Americans live below the poverty line and millions more struggle every month. The children in society today living in poverty is increasing daily. The majority of these children are from single-parent homes where sometimes parents are not working or have become disabled and therefore cannot work. Children who are raised in foster care and leave as adults do not have strong relationship ties most of the time and are at an increased risk for experiencing poverty, early parenthood and homelessness (American School Board Journal, 2007). The reason for most of the poverty in the United States is due to low family incomes.
If I study child poverty from a micro, meso, and macro level. I would start with my own community, which would be on a micro level. I would go to downtown los angels to skid row and look for groups of homeless children. I would observe different kids that I find for a week. I would take notes on how they survive. I would observe where do they eat, where & how they sleep. I would also observe their interaction around other people. After I observed them for a week. I would pick 4 children to Interview. I would pick two girls and two boys. I would interview an African American girl that is in poverty that lives with her family that is close to the age of 16. I would also interview another girl that is Hispanic in her early teens, that does
It is known that the children are unable to determine their life circumstances, their families, and care solely for themselves without supervision. With this being said, children have little to no jurisdiction in determining the situations that they are confronted with. Most of the time when we ponder child poverty we think of low-income families or lack of food in the household, but it extends beyond that to “an environment that is damaging to their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual development” (“Children Under Threat,” 2005). Unfortunately, the prevalence of youth poverty in the United States may seem uncommon to those who are personally unaffected by the crisis; however, statistics show that 15 million children (21% of all children) live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold (Child Poverty, 2017). Moreover, when considering the demographics of impoverished children the following are true: a child in the U.S. has a 1 in 5 chance of being poor and the younger they are the poorer they are likely to be, and a child of color is more than twice as likely to be poor than a White child (Child Poverty, 2017). Research proves that poverty is the single greatest threat to a child’s well-being as it decreases the likelihood of a child graduating from high school, and it increases the chances of them becoming involved with the criminal justice system (Ending Child Poverty Now, 2017).
The United States is known as a the wealthiest country on the planet. There are many poor people in this country that can't afford to buy food for their families; many are homeless. “While hunger affects people of all ages, it's particularly devastating for children even short-term episodes of hunger can cause lasting damage" (“Child Nutrition Programs"). Child hunger in the United States is caused by poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and food shortage; however there are many solutions to this problem like FRAC strategies, food banks, summer feeding programs, and backpack feeding programs.
All Americans are at risk of developing obesity, with an obesity rate of 36.5% of the population (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). The increase of obesity in the United States has led to the development of other costly comorbidities, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and even some types of cancer, and therefore should be avoided at all costs (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Although all groups are at risk for obesity, vulnerable populations such as low-income children, face
Statistics show that Canada's child poverty rate was higher in 2013 than in 1989, with 1,334,930 Canadian children (19%) living in poverty in 2013 (Khanna, et al, 2015, p. 3). Child poverty can affect any group, however, members of marginalized communities are often the most severely affected (Khanna et al, 2015, p. 3). The distribution of child poverty rates in Canada is attributable to many factors. The following description will focus on some of these main factors as they relate to the distribution of child poverty in Canada.
This Infographic caught my attention because it was using very bold colors such as blue, white and yellow. The infographic also caught my attention because it had a theme of a school it also had a title which started with “child poverty”. The word “poverty” when look at it, I expect a homeless child in some developing country. The child I expect looks very skinny, hungry and has clothes on that are torn up or no clothes at all. Also this infographic had a lot of numbers side by side, this caught my attention because I was very curious about what those numbers were for. In my thoughts I was thinking the numbers were to do with education inequality’s but I soon found out that I was wrong.
When analyzing children growing up in poverty a lot of factors come into play such as their physical, psychological and emotional development. To grow up in poverty can have long term effect on a child. What should be emphasized in analyzing the effects of poverty on children is how it has caused many children around the world to suffer from physical disorders, malnutrition, and even diminishes their capacities to function in society. Poverty has played a major role in the functioning of families and the level of social and emotional competency that children are able to reach. Children in poverty stricken families are exposed to greater and emotional risks and stress level factors. They are even capable of understanding and dealing with
We as Americans are extremely lucky. We live in a big country with many resources and almost all the luxuries we ever wanted. On the flip side, in America there are also many people who do not have these privileges. The lower class is a struggling class. For many years, people have been trying to pull themselves up from the lower class and the majority does not succeed. Childhood poverty is a large problem in the U.S. It is said that the poorest people in the United States are the children of the lower class. Childhood poverty could lead to a number of problems such as hunger, violence, physical and mental disabilities, educational problems, homelessness, family stress, sickness, and too-early parenthood. The sad truth is that
Poverty is extremely prevalent in the United States with 15.5 million children under the age of 18 living in poverty. 15.1% of the country’s population and 21% of all its children are considered to be living in poverty. Research has indicated that children living in poverty are at an increased risk of various problems in physical-biological, cognitive-academic, and social-emotional development, such as non-optimal health concerns, higher high-school drop out rates, and various mental illnesses (Aber, Morris, & Raver, 2012). Children living in poverty have an increased risk of developing minimal phonological awareness skills. Children who are born into low SES environments often experience early reading difficulties. They receive fewer opportunities to
Poverty is the United States is a major issue and continues to worsen as housing is becoming less affordable for many people across the nation. People that do find housing are often restricted to low-income areas that have few opportunities. In the low income areas there are few jobs and the quality of schools are poor and keep the people in the cycle. To offset this cycle money needs to be put into the education system in these lower income areas to offset this cycle. Education allows for people to have more opportunities and would increase the incentive to live in low-income areas. With a quality education that is equal to the suburbs it would give the children much more opportunities to improve themselves and exit the cycle. This cycle is living in low-income areas gives children a poor education due to the schools lacking money and resources; without the needed education the student is not able to get a good job. Without the well paying job that person is not able to afford housing and has to living in affordable housing that is located in the low-income areas. By breaking this cycle with increased education it is possible for people to get out the cycle that ties them to that area. Education is the foundation to success and it very important that is equal and everyone receives similar opportunities through that education.
New Zealand is a good place for many children to grow up in. Regrettably for a substantial minority of children this is not the case. Despite our positive ‘she’ll be right’ kiwi attitude, relative poverty for children in New Zealand is very much a real social issue. In 2012, 27% of all New Zealand children were living in income poverty, this is almost double that of 1982 (Craig,
Poverty and inequality exist in every developed culture and often are only patched in order for society to continue upwardly. Poverty and inequality in the United States exists for many reasons; reasons that very from the prospective lens. Interpretive theories in particular ask us to question our reality and its constructs. Interpretive theories require us to looks at the world as a social realm, one that we created and constantly change. Interpretive theories study the relationship between power and the construction of social roles as well as the invisible collection of patterns and habits that make up domination, (Delgado & Stefanic, 2001). Susan Kemp argues that the view of the world is dominated by the experiences of white western
Child poverty is a major and complex issue that New Zealand faces today. The degree is far more severe than the public's perception and it is a problem that we cannot afford to ignore. A combination of factors contributes to child poverty, from individual causes at the micro level to the macro collective government involvement. This occurs partly due to social construction and it is potentially avoidable. The consequences can impact on both individual and to a great extent affect significantly on the country as a whole. If the issue is not resolved, the inequality will continue, if not worsen and becomes an ongoing intergeneration cycle. 'The poor get poorer and poorer', children can easily fall into the poverty trap where it becomes