The Multiple Effects of Growing Up in Poverty

All across the globe, inequalities between rich and poor is steadily rising. Fewer people are becoming more productive and wealthier, while a disproportionately larger population is becoming much poorer. Poverty has been around for a long time now, it began when all the rich people started to get wealthier, rich people got richer and made other people poor, and let them survive without the needs of humans. Many factors are included when looking at poverty. Factors including not having food and water to not having an education. Many individuals are affected; more kids than adults. Young kids are now starting to grow up, but because of poverty being a social issue, providing education is not the easiest thing on the parent’s mind. Poverty is not just about the lack of money, it’s about the lack of opportunities, the lack of choices, the lack of essentials, and the lack of jobs.

Poverty is a social problem that has never-ending causes. Inadequate access to clean water and nutritious food, inequality, and poor education are just a few of the effects. Because of the lack of water around in many villages, young kids are forced to walk miles and miles to get water. The water is not always the cleanest, yet they drink it to survive. Therefore leading them to sicknesses that they can not afford. Inequality is another main cause of poverty. In the article Poverty menace: still a long way to go, Nazir Ahmed Shaikh explains that “individuals and societies are also poor - and tend to remain so - if they are not empowered to participate in making the decisions that shape their lives.” Voices of certain groups are not being heard, therefore leaving them out of having a say in what they want to do. The types of inequalities range from economic to social inequality. Also, they do not have the tools they need to survive. Poor education is a big cause that leads to poverty. Many parents cannot send their kids to school because of the cost. The article The Top 9 Causes of Poverty states what education can do for us in the future.“Education is often referred to as the great equalizer, and that’s because education can open the door to jobs and other resources and skills that a family needs to not just survive, but thrive.’’ Because of poverty, the kids are helping their parents at work, where it be on a farm or in the village. Climate change leads to poverty. Many people rely on farming for food and to make money, but if the climate keeps changing; they can lose all of it. Many people are affected by poverty such as business owners, doctors and nurses, teachers and administrators. Employees and business owners are affected when workers can’t come to work because of transportation or illness. Hospitals and doctors are affected by indigent care. Teachers and administrators have to provide the time and resources to children living in poverty to allow them to catch up on the same academic standards as students in higher socioeconomic classes. Poverty affects everyone differently. The article The Social Consequences of Poverty: An Empirical Test on Longitudinal Data states that “poverty in general has negative effects on social life. It has more harmful effects on relations with friends and relatives than for social support; and more for political participation than organizational activity.”

Unemployment is a serious issue and if the community itself does not make it aware then it will damage the economy and society in the future. In the article Growing up in high-poverty areas can affect your employment, Eleni Karageorge states that “Men who grew up in low-income families living in high-poverty, racially segregated areas were significantly less likely to be employed as adults.” Growing up in poverty does affect employment in the future. Unemployment is defined as people who do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the past four weeks, and are currently available for work. When someone loses a job, the family is affected. When many people lose their jobs, eventually the whole nation is affected. Unemployed people may, for instance, suffer from depression, or they may struggle to provide for their families, especially when it comes to healthcare and nutrition. According to Dilia Bekesi, she emphasizes “superior qualification” is needed when looking for a job. Getting a degree in a certain occupation can be hard for those in poverty. Employers and co-workers are affected when workers lack reliable transportation to their jobs, resulting in absenteeism and lost productivity, which in turn lower earnings and impede wage increases. Unemployment and low-income rates create an environment where children are unable to attend schools.

Many people argue that rich nations have no choice but to aid poor nations. Claire Andre and Manuel Velasquez state that, “Aid sent to developing countries rarely reaches the people it was intended to benefit.” Many believe the rich should not help the poor and that’s because the rich have worked hard to get a well-paying job and be in a stable position where they can provide for their family. Although blaming the poor is easy because they can not fight back, some are destined to be poor. Some have no hope of living a regular life. Growing up in poverty their whole life is hard for them to get out of it.

Poverty has become a great issue in the world and the consequences of poverty affect everyone worldwide. To rephrase, poverty is not just about the lack of money, it’s about the lack of opportunities, the lack of choices, the lack of essentials, and the lack of jobs. Poverty not only affects humankind their everyday life but also their financial lives. If we do not recognize the harm that poverty does to kids and even adults then our economy is going to be in danger. A few effects of poverty are inadequate access to water and food, inequality, and poor education. Poverty often leads to unemployment. Unemployment can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. It affects not just the unemployed person but also family members and the wider community. The impact of unemployment can be long-lasting. All of these factors need to be looked upon or our world will have to face it big time in the future.