Poverty Is One Of The Biggest Problems In America

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Poverty is one of the biggest problems that America has ever faced. In the United States, 1 of 2 people are in poverty, estimated to be about 46.5 million people as of 2014. Fifteen and a half million of them being under the age of 18, approximately 21.1% and 4.6 million being over the age of 65. The United States has one of the highest poverty rates in the world due to high divorce rates, lack of education, and high population rate. As these factors take into play, it makes it harder for a family to live their lives on a daily basis. Poverty can be the result of standards of living, economic restrictions or downturn and also a high rate of inflation. It is everyone’s hope that this issue can be eradicated completely one day, but steps must …show more content…
If one lacks basic educational skills and concepts, they will be unable to apply themselves for a job that pays minimum wage. In these present years, it is definitely impossible to get a job without a high school diploma, even in the places that pay exactly minimum wage. If the parent living in poverty has not received a proper education, it will only make it difficult for them and their children. Children going to school while in poverty is not easy, lacking necessary supplies such as paper, pencils, notebooks, and a simple school lunch can cause it to be extremely difficult. It is shown in statistics that about 15% of America 's poverty population pull their children out of school due to the lack of necessities the parent was not able to provide. This can be a repeated issue, if not a habit which can also lead to generations of deficiency in education. Although a family in poverty is unable to provide these necessities, thankfully there are programs that provide these materials for children. Education is directly incorporated to earning enough to stay out of poverty. High school dropouts earn less than 22.000 a year while at the high school and college graduate earns roughly about 59,00 or more a year. Young children living in low-income families are shown to score lower on literacy and math assessments even before starting their kindergarten …show more content…
Poverty is a serious matter that has left children and adults neglected and has led to a numerous amount of deaths. The government is trying to help raise the number of people recovering from poverty rather than the people that are in poverty. It is a major factor to take in mind these key factors so poverty doesn’t strike more than it has. While there are many causes and reasons for the rampant poverty that America faces today, there are things that can be done in every aspect of society to bring everyone onto a level playing field, without having to make extreme changes. For starters, minimum wages need to be increased or, the cost of housing, medical care and food needs to be lowered. The rate of inflation is also pretty high and with salaries rising slower than prices

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