Essay about Poverty in Our Society - 2241 Words

Poverty in Our Society In this assignment I intend to show an awareness of the concepts, definitions and measurements of poverty, of the groups experiencing poverty, social exclusion and discrimination. I will then discuss Government anti-poverty policies, legislation and how social work can respond to poverty. I shall now discuss the history of poverty the legislation, theories and measurements of poverty. The Poor Law Act 1601 focused on work discipline, deterrence and classification [Golding and Middleton (1982, Alcock.P p11). People who were poor or destitute were sent to workhouses, as a form of poverty†¦show more content†¦[Rowantree 1901). Absolute poverty does exist but should be seen as a relative concept. [Scottish Executive Social Justice Report 2000] [Prescott 1994: 26) states that absolute poverty does not exist in Britain today having been virtually eliminated by the welfare state, with the exception of small groups such as homeless or elderly people who die through not heating their homes in the winter, this is not due to poverty but is the persons choice. [Becker. S p22] (Pathological theory) Relative Poverty defined by (Townsend, 1979) measured poverty in the state standard income, relative income standard of poverty and relative deprivation. Townsend states the poverty line is decided by society, that a person is living in poverty if he or she is excluded from social participation or part citizenship (Structural theory). [Townsend 1979, Golding 1986, Lister 1990, Oppenheim and Harker 1996] (Becker. S p23) Mack and Lansley 1985 Breadline Britain was based on Townsends relative measurement also of the publics perception of necessities (Democratic). Mack and Lansley pointed out that the Welfare reforms made by the Conservative Government in the 80s made the recipients of welfare payment worse off, with high employment levels and cuts in housing benefit. [Haralambos, p302] Others in society feared that Conservative Minister ofShow MoreRelatedPoverty And The Effect On Our Society1694 Words   |  7 Pages Poverty and the effect it has on our society, and our students are an uncomfortable topic for some people to approach. We as a culture sometimes like to assume that this is an unfortunate phenomenon that occurs outside of the United States, far removed from our first world resources. In reality we are surrounded by poverty, wether or not we realize that truth is determined by our perception of others around us. 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