Three Greatest Predictors Of Poverty Essay

Superior Essays
6. Identify and discuss the three greatest predictors of poverty in America.

The three greatest predictors of poverty in America stem from an individual’s race or ethnicity, education level, and gender. In regards to race-ethnicity, 12% of whites are poor, 13% of Asian Americans, 25% of Latinos, 26% of African Americans, and 27% of Native Americans. Although whites have the smallest percentage living in poverty, because it is such a dominant group, whites have the most individuals who identify as poor when compared with any other race. 46% of all who live below the poverty line are white.

Education plays a large role in the prediction of poverty as well. One out of every four people who drop out of high school are poor, but only one in
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The labels authority figures place on groups of people can lead members of the dominant group to go against what they know to be true, causing genocide. This was the case when Hitler and the Nazis attempted to abolish the Jewish population. When Hitler would label the Jews as filthy or unfit for society, non-Jewish people started feeling the same and joined the Nazis. These people originally found killing to be immoral, but when Hitler labeled the Jews with terrible things, they began to agree with him and wanted the Jews gone.

Population transfer occurs when a dominant group expels the minority group to a different location. Direct transfer is when the dominant group forces the minority to leave, and indirect transfer occurs when the dominant group makes life so miserable for the minority group that they willingly leave. This was the case when the settlers came to America and began to kick out the Native Americans

Internal colonialism occurs when the dominant groups exploits the minority group. One of the most severe examples is slavery. Most dominant groups do this to achieve economic advantage. During this internal colonialism, social institutions often deny the minority group access to the full benefits they offer and push them

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