POVERTY

Poverty simply means being poor, being poor also means being unable to afford food or clean water. The effects of poverty are
often interrelated so that one problem rarely
occurs alone. Bad sanitation makes one
susceptible to diseases, and hunger and lack
of clean water makes one even more
vulnerable to diseases. Impoverished
countries and communities often suffer from
discrimination and end up caught in a cycle of
poverty.
Poverty and Society
The vicious cycle of poverty means that
lifelong barriers and troubles are passed on
from one generation to the
next.Unemployment and low incomes create
an environment where children are unable toThe Grass is NOT Greener!
Too many times, people get tired of working on the relationship they are currently in and feel that by moving on to another person, they will find greener pastures. This is just not the case. What happens is when you move to another person, things are fresh, new, and exciting just as they were in the beginning of your current relationship. Within time, that relationship will also start experiencing differences and bumps in the road. Unless you are being abused or your mate is doing something illegal or completely irresponsible, perhaps the efforts you would put into starting a new relationship would be better spent fixing the one you have.
attend school. Children must often work to
provide an income for their family. As for
children who are able to go to school, many
fail to see how hard work can improve their
lives as they see their parents struggle at
every day tasks. Other plagues accompanying
poverty include:
Crippling accidents as a result of unsafe
work environments—consider the recent
building collapse in Bangladesh.
Poor housing—a long-lasting cause of
diseases.
Water and food related diseases that
occur simply because the poor cannot
afford “safe” foods.
Ultimately, poverty is a major cause of social
tensions and threatens to divide a nation
because of income inequality. This occurs
when the wealth of a country is poorly
distributed among its citizens—when a tiny
minority has a majority of the money. Wealthy
or developed countries maintain stability
because of the presence of a middle class.
However, even Western countries are gradually
losing their middle class. As a result there
has been an increased number of riots and
clashes. For society, poverty is a very
dangerous factor that can destabilize an entire
country. The Arab Spring is a great example
of how revolts can start because of few job
opportunities and high poverty levels.
Child Poverty
The number of children affected by poverty
has been increasing since the 1960s. Children
are those with the least amount choice and
ability to change their circumstances. There is
very little they can do to help their families,
nor should they have to. Usually by the age of
six they can be enrolled in child labor. Nearly
all the potential effects of poverty impact the
lives of children—poor infrastructure,
unemployment, malnutrition, domestic
violence, child labor, and disease. Simply
analyzing the effects of child poverty on
education in developed countries alone reveal
some disturbing statistics:
Children from poor backgrounds lag
behind at all stages of education.
By the age of three, poorer children are
estimated to be nine months behind
children from wealthier backgrounds.
By the end of primary school, students
receiving free school meals are estimated
to be about three terms behind their
peers.
By 14, this gap increases to over five
terms.
By 16, children receiving free school
meals are about 1.7 grade points below
their more affluent peers’ average GPA.
Effects of Poverty and Violence
The effect of poverty on terrorism is not as
straightforward as the media often perceives it
to be. Poverty fuels terrorism by creating a
state of misery and frustration that pushes
people to join terrorist organizations. But
more research shows, it is more complicated.
Of course, some terrorists come from poor
countries with high unemployment, and
terrorist organizations often provide higher
salaries than other jobs. But terrorism may
not be a direct effect of poverty. So what is
the source of frustration and anger?
Studies show that countries with weak
governments, fragile institutions, and limited
civil rights are a great environment to nurture
the production of terrorist activity. Countries
undergoing difficult transitions—i.e. from
authoritarian to democratic regime—often
encounter political instability with the blurring
of certain rules and laws.
These periods of profound change come with
a transformation of social order, values, and
methods of governing that many people may
find distressing and unsettling. Therefore,
stabilizing and empowering political
institutions is a crucial part of fighting against
the dangerous consequences of poverty.