Poverty Of The United States - 1475 Words

Poverty in the United States is defined as a social problem. As outlined in the text, a social problem is â€Å"a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of a society and is usually a matter of public controversy†. It is easy to see that there is a large economic divide in the United States, but with only a small percentage of people in the highest income stratification and the vast majority struggling to get by, the majority of United States citizens agree that there is too much power in too few rich people. The â€Å"American dream†, the idea that if you work hard you will be rewarded accordingly, is a increasingly inadequate theme of the past. Today, average people who work hard have been struggling to provide for†¦show more content†¦Rank also continues by saying that although the majority of Americans will experience poverty it is rarely for a long period of time, although it is typical for these people to fall back below the pover ty line at some point. Race and gender also play a key part in poverty rates. Data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement, form the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows that it is most common for women and men of Hispanic descent to fall under the poverty line. Based on the Bureau’s data, coming in second is African American men and woman. These statistics make it evident that racial minorities suffer from increased poverty rates in the United States. In other words, children bore by minority parents are subject to disadvantage and higher poverty rates. More so, research illustrated in the Washington Post mentions details as to why it is different growing up black and in poverty opposed to white and in poverty. John Cox states that it is morel likely that a black family living in poverty is surrounded by other black families living in poverty, where that is not often the case with poor white families. This adds a second degree of poverty to these black families, called c oncentrated poverty. Concentrated poverty becomes a problem because the families that are not affected by these neighborhoods often times fail to contribute to the success and aid of them, keeping them concentrated.