Traditionally, literacy is used to mean a person’s ability to read and write. However, scholars have expanded the scope of literacy to mean the capacity to use computers, visuals, language, and arithmetic to communicate. Researchers explain that access to information and knowledge through technology is also part of literacy in the modern society. Roser and Ortiz-Ospina explain that a population 's level of education can be measured by the degree of literacy in the society. The world data indicates that the overall literacy level has gradually increased over the past years. By 1820, only 12% of the world population had the ability to read and write but today, only 17% of the population is illiterate (Roser and Ortiz-Ospina).
Literacy greatly …show more content…
Illiteracy in the American society can be attributed to ethnicity, disability, poverty, and nativity. Ethnic backgrounds define peoples priorities, belies and actions. A person from an ethnic background that does not value education will record high levels of illiteracy compared to those ethnic societies that place a value to education. A report by UNESCO report that there is a close relationship between disability and illiteracy, 97% of the world’s disabled person are either illiterate or semi- illiterate. A society with high levels of disability is prone to record high rates of illiteracy. Poverty is another contributory factor to illiteracy in America; the poor cannot access the facilities or the finances to educate themselves, therefore resulting to high illiteracy rates. Some native communities don’t value education, which is a contributory factor to …show more content…
In "Why Do Millions of Americans Struggle with Reading and Writing,” Khadaroo explains that employers affirm that most job applicants who fail to be shortlisted have communication challenges.
Consequences of Illiteracy
Illiteracy has several consequences to individuals and the society, and these consequences are both social and economic. The challenges should be understood so that strategies are formed to eradicate them. Illiteracy is often misconceived to be the inability to learn and this stigmatization makes illiterate people reluctant to seek an education. These people are characterized by low self-esteem and self-doubt and often inclined to commit crimes.
For individuals, illiteracy reduces the chances of one getting a well-paying job or career. This leads to low self-esteem, which may affect a person’s productivity at their place of work and their personal lives. Individuals who are illiterates are prone to higher risks of illnesses and are locked out to access to essential information which could make them venerable to exploitation due to lack of
Literacy greatly …show more content…
Illiteracy in the American society can be attributed to ethnicity, disability, poverty, and nativity. Ethnic backgrounds define peoples priorities, belies and actions. A person from an ethnic background that does not value education will record high levels of illiteracy compared to those ethnic societies that place a value to education. A report by UNESCO report that there is a close relationship between disability and illiteracy, 97% of the world’s disabled person are either illiterate or semi- illiterate. A society with high levels of disability is prone to record high rates of illiteracy. Poverty is another contributory factor to illiteracy in America; the poor cannot access the facilities or the finances to educate themselves, therefore resulting to high illiteracy rates. Some native communities don’t value education, which is a contributory factor to …show more content…
In "Why Do Millions of Americans Struggle with Reading and Writing,” Khadaroo explains that employers affirm that most job applicants who fail to be shortlisted have communication challenges.
Consequences of Illiteracy
Illiteracy has several consequences to individuals and the society, and these consequences are both social and economic. The challenges should be understood so that strategies are formed to eradicate them. Illiteracy is often misconceived to be the inability to learn and this stigmatization makes illiterate people reluctant to seek an education. These people are characterized by low self-esteem and self-doubt and often inclined to commit crimes.
For individuals, illiteracy reduces the chances of one getting a well-paying job or career. This leads to low self-esteem, which may affect a person’s productivity at their place of work and their personal lives. Individuals who are illiterates are prone to higher risks of illnesses and are locked out to access to essential information which could make them venerable to exploitation due to lack of