Sociological Views of Poverty - 2768 Words

Sociological Views of Poverty Michelle Williams-Thomas Sociology 101 Professor Yelena Gidenko February 12, 2012 At the beginning of the twentieth century, the most common reasons people died were accidents or communicable diseases like pneumonia. Today, millions die each day from poverty. How can poverty be defined? And what is the difference between absolute and relative poverty? In the paper I will address these issues along with sociological views of poverty. Poverty is a social issue that affects the world. Poverty causes many to be malnourished and die at a young age, it is a cause of deviant behavior such as crime, and also causes the poor to be marginalized from society and have little voice in public†¦show more content†¦Usually these rates are higher among men because they are considered the â€Å"bread winner† of the family. Consider how standards of living have changed over the centuries. The average lifespan of Europeans who survived childhood 1,000 years ago was less than 35 years. In 1900, the average American could expect to live only 49 years, but people in many developed economies now typically live well into their 70s because of advances in nutrition and medicine. Polio, cholera, smallpox, diphtheria, and leprosy are now extinct or quite rare in developed economies. In the U.S. children raised in poverty tend to miss school more often because of illness. These children also have a much higher rate of accidents than do other children, and they are twice as likely to have impaired vision and hearing, iron deficiency anemia, and higher than normal levels of lead in the blood, which can impair brain function. When it comes to society many poor people are labeled or stigmatized. Most blame the poor for their pitiful state claiming that if they want to work they could. And government officials want to cut back on Medicaid, Medicare, and health care. Most of the elite or well off do not want to use their tax dollars to help the poor. Primitive or traditional societies existed for long periods of time without making major changes. In order for them to become more economically secure, the modernization theory assumes that thereShow MoreRelatedChild Poverty : An Advancing Social Issue Essay1568 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout this paper, discussions will take place on, child poverty, an advancing social issue in New Zealand. Also, reasons why child poverty is a social issue in New Zealand will be debated. In addition, key concepts of three core sociological perspectives; structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism and conflict perspective will be explored. 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