Culture Of Poverty In America

For most, the word poverty suggests an inability to provide food, water, clothing and shelter. According to the 2012 U.S. Census, poverty rates have many variables between ethnic groups. In 2012, 27.8% blacks and 22.3% of Hispanics were impoverished, compared to 8.4% of non-Hispanic whites and 12.1% of Asians. Minority families headed by single-women particularly experience a higher rate of poverty than of families headed by single-men, or married couples, so it makes sense why children are the age group most significantly affected by poverty. Regardless of location, these communities that are victim to poverty by pathology are very low-quality neighborhoods, with bad schools, and little to no job availability. Values that coincide with successful upward mobility cannot …show more content…
This is the most crucial aspect of the entire theory because it is this detail that continues the cycle. Most children follow the norms of the social class that they are born into so it doesn’t necessarily mean that their family values are less than other classes, but just different (in a detrimental way). The culture of poverty cycle continues if people on welfare believe that it is best to remain on welfare and instill that mentality in their kids instead of finding work and educational opportunities to better themselves and their families. The culture of poverty sets into the everyday lives of the people and it tends to preserve itself. By the time children in these households are 5 or 6 they have attitudes and values of poverty culture. So from that young age they are unequipped to compete with their non-impoverished schoolmates and peers. Cultures are learned, and rewards come to those who pick up on opportunities and their value. The culture of poverty feeds off how government welfare programs reward people who manipulate the system for the purpose of staying on