Child Poverty In The United States

579 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on how poverty effects childrens emotional,social and cognitive

Child poverty refers to the number of children that are living in poverty. The United States has one of the highest childhood poverty rates out of all the developed nations in the world. To be more exact, 16 million children in the United States live in poverty (National Center for Children in Poverty 2014). That means 22% of children in America live in poverty. These children live in households with an income that is less than the federal poverty level, which is $23,550 a year. According to Bernstein (2008), in order for a family to have a basic standard of living they would need a household income of $48,778, more than double what they are actually making. Children living in poverty tend to experience many adverse developmental affects due to a lack of secure attachment with caregivers and a lack of resources provided to them by their families. This can cause social, emotional and behavioral problems for the children. This paper will focus on the behavioral problems children in poverty …show more content…

It is believed that nature is also affected by poverty. Some genes may never be able to be expressed because an individual is put into an environment that does not allow for those genes to be expressed. For example, height is genetic, but it is also affected by nurture. If an individual is expected to be a certain height, but they are born into poverty and are malnourished, they most likely will never reach their potential height. Poverty creates an environment that is not conducive to successful development for children. Poverty is accompanied by a lack of parental supervision, causing children to develop insecure attachments or act out, and a lack of outside resources causes children to fall behind other children developmentally. Not only is nurture and environment important, but early environment for a child can be even more important especially when referring to infant attachment (Belford, 2012, p.

Show More
Related

  • The Other Wes Moore Essay

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poverty has many influences on children under the age of 16. The research fined out that in recent year, an increasing number of children become poor, live under the poverty condition- childhood poverty lasted 10 years or more. So, what does the poverty exactly mean to children? According to Brook-Gunn and Duncan, The kids who live in the poverty condition have the low quality of schools; more likely to have domestic violence and become homeless; less access to friends, services, etc. (Brooks-Gunn et all, 1997) That points out the disadvantage and how the family income influence youngsters overall childhood, since under the poverty condition, they children do not have enough money to support for their necessary needs, they will more likely to have low self-confidence and hard to blend in with their peers. Poverty has impact on children’s achievement in several different ways. Payne (2003) maintained that the poverty could affect children achievement though emotional, mental, financial, and role models (Payne, 2003). Thus, the children from low-income family are more likely to have self-destructive behavior, lack of control emotional response and lack of necessary intellectual, that is really important for the students under the age of 16. Nevertheless, the children who suffer from poverty are usually have low birth weight and low cognitive ability

    Read More

  • Janson And Fraser On Poverty

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    In addition to providing alarming statistics about the rate of childhood poverty, Jenson & Fraser highlight how much poverty can adversely affect the outcomes of children both directly and indirectly by impacting them at a familial and community levels (31-34).

    Read More

  • The Sesame Street Sociology

    1934 Words  | 4 Pages

    Child poverty is and has been a big problem in America, and children below the poverty line do not do well in school. David H. Arnold, a scholar and studier on the subject, said in an article, "Child poverty has reached epidemic proportions within the United States. Of the 35.6 million people living in poverty in 1997, 14.1 million were children … One third of American children spend at least one year below the poverty line, and 18% experience extreme poverty … Younger children are more likely to face poverty… and its impact may be strongest during children's earliest years ... Among poverty's effects is a devastating negative influence on academic achievement; the relation between socioeconomic status … and underachievement is most dramatic near and below the poverty line” (Arnold). Child poverty is a very real problem in America and most children with money problems are likely to fall behind in school. In addition, Parents having a bad education will most likely lead to poverty, and it is hard for their children to improve their way of life after they have based under the poverty line. In Arnold’s article, he stated; "Numerous factors contribute to the relation between [economic stance] and educational outcomes … Such factors may, for example, have repercussions on child cognitive functioning or parenting, and in turn, educational

    Read More

  • child poverty in canada

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poverty causes children to be involved in illegal things such as drugs and crime and the people that are involved in these risky behaviours are children. If parents don’t have enough money to support their child, they will be forced to steal- this is linked back to education- if you are unable to earn a decent wage because of lack of education you will be forced to commit a crime. The recent video file by Bergsma touches on this issue with in depth. Bergsma has attempted to show and explain the unawareness of child poverty through a story. The story was about a guy who named Bobby and lives in poverty. Generally, the entire story was criticized from his perspective that how he experienced living in poverty and abandoned his life. In the video, Bergsma (2014) articulates that Bobby has faced hard time in his school life because he doesn’t eat proper and lead to inadequate of nutritious requirements. These all makes his school life worse resembling lack of concentrations and being bullied at school.

    Read More

  • Racism and White Privilege in the Education System

    3421 Words  | 7 Pages

    Wight, V. R., Chau, M., & Aratani, Y. (2010, Jan). National Center for Children in Poverty. Retrieved from Who are America’s Poor Children?: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_912.html

    Read More

  • Poverty in America

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone knows what the word poverty means. It means poor, unable to buy the necessities to survive in today's world. We do not realize how easy it is for a person to fall into poverty: A lost job, a sudden illness, a death in the family or the endless cycle of being born into poverty and not knowing how to overcome it. There are so many children in poverty and a family's structure can effect the outcome. Most of the people who are at the poverty level need some type of help to overcome the obstacles. There are mane issues that deal with poverty and many things that can be done to stop it.

    Read More

  • Children Growing Up Poor in America

    564 Words  | 2 Pages

    Why are some people poor and homeless, while others have so much money they literally

    Read More

  • Occupational Justice: The Framework Of Occupational Justice

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2014 African Americans held the highest poverty rate of 26%, with Hispanics holding the second highest rate at 24% (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). When comparing this to the poverty rates of Whites at 10% and Asians at 12% in 2014, we see that in America, racial and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to experiencing poverty (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). In addition, discrimination is seen between genders among those living in poverty. Family households of a single adult are more likely to be headed by women and are also at a greater risk for poverty (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). In 2014, 30.6% of households headed by a single woman were living below the poverty line compared to 15.7% for households headed by a single male (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). Many factors such as poor wages for women, pregnancy associations, and the increase of single-woman parented families have impacted the increase of women in poverty. Children are most harshly affected by poverty because for them the risks are compounded, as they lack the defenses and supports needed to combat the toxicity surrounding them. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 21% of all U.S. children (73.6 million children) under 18 years old lived in poverty in 2014 (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor,

    Read More

  • Child Poverty

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    The development of children withstanding poverty can be impacted radically by its cruel effects on their everyday lives. Children which must endure the likes of poverty are more likely to suffer chronic illness during childhood or to have a disability (cpag). This is truly a travesty, a large portion of our next generation is suffering from an issue that burden’s many on this planet. Some of them do receive financial support, but many are left to fight for their own lives in the battle against starvation. Poverty had been thought to be primarily a financial issue for many years, but recent studies show that the brains of

    Read More

  • Poverty And Child Development Essay

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poverty is “the inability to acquire enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter” (Gosselin,2009). This social disadvantage limits one’s ability to receive a quality education and it is a constant problem throughout the world accompanied with“deleterious impacts on almost all aspects of family life and outcomes for children”(Ravallion,1992). Poverty is a main factor that affects normal human growth and development in a variety of ways, primarily impacting children’s early development, social behaviour, health, and self worth.

    Read More

  • Child Development And Poverty And Its Effects On Childhood Development

    1593 Words  | 4 Pages

    Childhood development is both a biological and psychological period that occurs to every human from birth to adolescence. The transition from dependency to autonomy characterizes this period. The crucial factors that affect this period include parental life, prenatal development and genetics among others. Childhood period is immensely significant for the child’s future health and development. Efforts in ensuring proper child development are normally seen through parents, health professional and educators who work collectively. Such efforts are essential in making sure that children grow to reach their full potential. However, it is not extremely easy to raise a child in modern times because certain factors emerge to ruin this pivotal stage in life. Poverty is a serious problem that can immensely affect childhood development (Horgan, 2007). Children are susceptible developmentally to problems in their earliest period of their life. Poverty is not a selective issue and it can affect all ages in any place, but its

    Read More

  • poverty

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    Children are those who have limited abilities or opportunities to decide what happens to them. They cannot choose their family structure or status. Therefore, poverty is not a choice, but a lifestyle for children and impacts every aspect of their lives. Poverty contributes to poor health, the widespread transmission of disease by family or environment, lack of education and increased incidents of violence. Poverty affects a child’s development and contributes to antisocial behavior and sometimes hostile acts of aggression due to a lack of self-control. These acts of aggression often become embedded in their personality and are unchangeable. Therefore, it is imperative that we take actions early to address the global issue of poverty.

    Read More

  • Child Poverty In America

    2213 Words  | 5 Pages

    Poverty has always been a hot subject to talk about through history. Throughout the years poverty keeps increasing because of the higher prices of everything, such as food, clothing, bills, etc. “Nearly 22 percent of America’s children live in poverty, compared with 14 percent of the total population.” (Mattingly, 2011). Though there are people who have a great amount of money and will never have to worry about going hungry there are also always be people out there who have to live day by day wondering if they will be able to afford a meal that day or wondering where they will sleep that night. Being in poverty does not mean an individual does not work hard. A person could have a full time job, but is not paid well enough to support themselves

    Read More

  • The Effects of Poverty on Children

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    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 their own emotions as well as the emotions of others. Some of the implications of poverty include educational setbacks, issues with social behaviors and hindrances in psychological and physical development. Poverty deprives children of the capabilities needed to survive, develop and prosper in society. Studies have shown that the income status of a household and even the neighborhoods in which they reside can affect the amount of readily available resources needed to sustain a healthy child. This essay will examine the psychological and physical effects of poverty on children. The psychological aspect will include a look at behavioral problems in children, depression, chronic stress, and conduct disorders such as ADHD. Poverty is known to decrease the amount of psychological and physical capabilities in children which can have long term adverse effects on their wellbeing.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Poor Children

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    This statistic provided by The United Nations Children’s Funds is very alarming and this is supposed to be an average percentage in first world countries. This is unacceptable, because if first world countries --developed countries-- can’t help their citizens get out of poverty, what can others expect from different countries. UNICEF also finds,“ In the US, meanwhile 30 percent of children live in poverty, significantly above the 20 percent global average.” (UNICEF). These statistics are disappointing because the United States is supposed to be “the land of opportunity” but how can we be the land of opportunity if we can’t take care of our people? This essay focuses on one significant issue in this world: children who live in poverty and how poverty affects their health and emotional state.

    Read More

More about Child Poverty In The United States

Open Document