Years ago, while blazing through a stack of busywork in my 9th grade science class, I came across a thought provoking discussion question listed in the class text book that read, “What do you think of when you hear the word ‘poverty’?”. After reading and re-reading the question, various words cycled through my mind such as homelessness, joylessness, struggle, hardship, inequality, politics, and government, all of which could easily be paired together in order to form a seemingly endless strand of ideas relating to the fight against poverty. By delving deeper into the topic at the present, it would seem that the U.S. government, itself, often asks the very same question amongst themselves in order to determine an appropriate measurement for poverty in America. Not surprisingly, this question, alone, leads to even more important questions regarding what aspects of poverty must be considered in order to develop an appropriate poverty measure. For example, should technology be included in the measurement? What about transportation costs? What about the state of one’s social network/system? In truth, there are just as many issues to consider for an efficient measure of poverty as there are tick marks on a simplistic measuring stick. To effectively reduce poverty in America, one must first begin labeling those marks.
The Essentials
By
now, it is safe to say that everyone affected by poverty, as well as those
responsible for fighting against it, can agree that there are a variety of
ingredients in the poverty prevention stew that are essential if one is to sustain a suitable, yet healthy lifestyle.
As it currently stands, the official poverty measure focuses mainly on earned
income that centers around an average family of four. The income is then
contrasted with the cost of food on a weekly basis, resulting in a roundabout
measure that determines the amount of income a family of four needs to stay above
the poverty line. Unfortunately, with the current changing face of the economy,
the data for this particular measure is both skewed and highly inaccurate.
Reason being, there is no longer a single family structure. Instead, there are
multiple structures that include, but are not limited to single-parent (mother)
and grandparent-headed households, both of which are not effectively
represented by the current measure. In order for the proposed new measure to
work correctly in these areas, one must consider not only food and income, but
housing, healthcare, childcare, and transportation costs, all of which play a
critical part in the lives of everyday individuals. According to the National
Academic Press, the aforementioned items must be considered as a starting point
in the new measure of poverty in order to compensate for the dramatic changing
face of families across the U.S.
Technology and Social Supports
Once
the essentials are added to the new measure, one’s access to and ownership of
technology and social support systems must also be taken into account. A major reason for this involves the sheer
amount of influence that technology, itself, has on American society as a
whole. Social support networks are becoming highly extensive to the point where
“keeping in touch” with loved ones and forming new relationships are no longer
hassles to be reckoned with. Businesses throughout the country are now making
the use of iPads and tablets mandatory for conducting and participating in
meetings, seminars, and other work-related ventures. Politicians and
newscasters are now known for their frequent uses of social networking
(Facebook and Twitter) to deliver important national and global news as it
happens without any apparent sign of delay. Also in recent years, online
banking is gradually becoming a standard in managing one’s daily finances. In
truth, what were once items and experiences of luxury are now becoming items
and experiences of necessity. Because of
this, people who cannot afford such items are slowly being left in the dust.
More importantly, those who are heavily impoverished may fall even deeper into
poverty as a result of their inability to keep up with the forms of technology
that currently impact how we operate in the social and working worlds. In the
end, both technology and social supports are crucial forms of criteria that are
beginning to have a serious foothold on the rising gap between the rich and
poor.
A Brief Plea for Change
As
much fun as it is to sit at one’s desk and ponder multiple answers to the
question of what someone thinks when they hear the word “poverty”, the action(s)
chosen to answer such a question must take place at some point in time. In the end, the government should consider
this set of criteria when developing a new poverty measure as it represents a
crucial aspect of America that, compared to years past, no longer seems
stagnant, but is instead, ever-changing and thriving.
This
online source from the National Academies Press tackles the issue of how to
effectively measure poverty in America by summarizing the current measure,
suggesting criteria for developing a new measure, and finally by discussing
some miscellaneous issues that are common when measuring poverty.
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