Essay On Poverty In America

My chosen blog post deals with the increasing number of Americans who are facing extreme poverty, some subsisting on no more than $2 a day. The article touches on the typical American perception of this group, “usually portrayed as the plight of African American or Hispanic families headed by single mothers” (Edin & Shaefer). However, actual research shows that whites and married couples are also struggling in the face of economic recession. This stereotypical and racist view of poverty exemplifies the social construction of race and gender in that minority groups, especially women, are portrayed as the poorest. This reflects our society’s inherently biased views on certain sociological concepts like poverty.

It was noted though that “cash-strapped households headed by African American and Hispanics has been far higher than the increase in such poverty among white households” (Edin & Shaefer). This demonstrates the fact that although the perception of poverty is largely tied to negative connotations associated with the social construction of race and gender, the negative views are not entirely unjustified. The fact that society already discriminates income based on race and gender, with women and minorities paid the least, makes poverty compounded by other factors as well. These factors likely both contribute to poverty and make escaping it incredibly difficult.

Fascinatingly, this poverty trend has continually grown for the past few decades, not just growing larger during this economic recession. This validates the fact that poverty is a serious problem in America, one that doesn’t just became apparent with extreme circumstances, but rather is always present. The solutions for this poverty have also existed for some decades, encountering many changes over the years. The continual increases in poverty demonstrates their effectiveness in treating it