Conflict Theory Of Poverty

Poor individuals are rarely responsible for their own plight. Instead inequality in society is a key contributor to different levels of class in society.

Poverty can have different meanings to different people and different sections of society. However, poverty is typically defined as having little or no money, possessions or means of support. Although it should be noted that there are different levels of poverty and people may fall in and out of poverty at various stages in their life. Poverty can be considered a social problem because it is a condition that a large enough section of society believes to be negative or harmful to the community, therefore it needs remediation.

Conflict theory could be used to explain the extent of poverty in society. This theory considers how structures in society can contribute to conflict. Its various theorists argue that there is a constant struggle over scarce resources associated with money and power and this struggle leads to an unequal system. The core belief of this theory is that not everyone can have money and power, so those who have the money and power want to keep it, and those without it want to obtain it. Poverty in society exists because …show more content…
This is a particularly important argument because it is the belief that there is domination in society by one group or class in society. When considering poverty, it could be argued that the domination of the rich upper class and middle class could lead to a division in society that separates the poorer members of society. An example of this could be poorer individuals who live in areas that have been overtaken by more affluent members of society. As property prices rise, so do rental prices and other services in the area. This may place further strain on poorer individuals and this could divide them even further from those in other