Poverty’s underlying causes are many and combine personal and social elements. On a personal level, one can help to reduce poverty by supporting community projects, voting for laws supporting social safety nets, and pushing reform of education. Policies extending access to cheap housing, healthcare, and education can have a major influence on the decrease of poverty. People can also help local businesses, take part in job training courses, and promote a culture of mutual support and help inside their own neighborhoods.
Poverty rates are very much influenced by social factors including gender, class, and ethnicity. Higher poverty rates in African American and Hispanic populations have come from systematic racism and past injustices disproportionately impacting them. For these groups, for instance, discriminating policies in employment and housing have long-term effects on wealth building and economic stability. Because of gender pay disparities and the weight of unpaid caring tasks, women—especially single mothers—also have greater poverty rates.
Comparatively analyzing poverty in many societies shows interesting processes. Although compared to African American and Hispanic Americans a greater percentage of them live in poverty, the absolute count of Whites in poverty is more. The greater White population in the United States helps to explain this disparity. Local economic conditions—such as job availability, educational system quality, and cost of living—can affect poverty rates on a regional level. For example, limited access to work opportunities and services can cause rural places to have higher rates of poverty; conversely, historical segregation and economic inequalities might cause concentrated poverty in some urban areas.
In these various societies, processes explaining poverty include the historical background of racial segregation and economic policies excluding minority groups. For example, mid-20th century redlining policies hindered African Americans access to home loans, therefore preventing their capacity to accumulate wealth via property ownership. On the other hand, in largely White working-class areas like the Rust Belt, systematic elements like deindustrialization and the fall in manufacturing jobs have helped to create poverty.
Globally, systems that aggravate poverty differ between nations. In underdeveloped countries, elements including political unrest, corruption, and lack of access to healthcare and education have great impact. In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, political strife, poor infrastructure, and public health emergencies aggravate poverty. Conversely, poverty in industrialized countries could be more affected by inadequate social safety nets and economic disparity. For example, nations with strong welfare systems like Sweden had less poverty than those with less all around social support.
Dealing with poverty calls for a comprehensive strategy including both personal deeds and institutional improvements. Understanding the several elements causing poverty helps policy to be more suited to meet the particular requirements of different communities and areas.
