Poverty

WHAT CREATES POVERTY?

Poverty is a worldwide phenomenon that can be observed in every country with virtually no exception. The reason every nation is affected by poverty is that, by definition, poverty is directly related to the norm of the country in which we live. So a family that is considered poor in Canada's standards of living might be considered as middle class or even rich in other countries in which the general population earns less money. In our society, poverty is usually transmitted from generation to generation; people who are poor have generally been born in poverty rather than having fallen into it at a later age. Nevertheless, it a widespread opinion to blame the poor for their own poverty by a lack of willingness to work or a fatalist attitude. Others might blame the government or its policies. Personally, I would argue that it is because we live in a rich's world, where the power lies with those who can buy it from the rest of the world and in which the poor have no opportunities to obtain any control on their own fate. For example, someone living in poverty will not be able to pay for a higher education and therefore he or she will be stuck working in a minimum wage job with no opportunities for advancement which will never allow him or her to get out of poverty's vicious circle.

Differences in national income equality around the world as measured by the national Gini coefficient. The Gini coefficient is a number between 0 and 1, where 0 corresponds with perfect equality (where everyone has the same income) and 1 corresponds with perfect inequality (where one person has all the income, and everyone else has zero income).

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF POVERTY?

The effects of poverty are abundant. Of course, there are physical effects on the poor; usually health issues resulting from the bad nutrition or the unsanitary living conditions. They are also subject to the psychological effects of poverty, mostly self-esteem issues. People who live in poverty, more so in well-developed countries, tend to feel inferior, hopeless and powerless. In children who were born into a poor family, there are common cases of antisocial behaviour due to the general social exclusion and discrimination poor people are often victim in our society. Also, studies show a higher level of stress and tension in economically challenged households, which is a commonly known trigger of violence and abuse. Furthermore, crime is often associated with poverty as well, low incomes tend to induce crimes such as burglary.

HOW TO STOP POVERTY?

No one has a perfect and globally accepted solution to poverty. Obviously, if the perfect solution existed than poverty would be long gone; every idea has its supporters and its opponents so no strategy can be put forth to relieve the poor. In an ideal world, we could solve poverty problems through a redistribution of the resources, but evidently, that would never be accepted by the people who are currently controlling the majority of the resources. A more realistic approach would be to create a better aid programme and support system for those suffering from poverty. Moreover, direct assistance between citizens and putting a stop to the discrimination and prejudice might be just what the world needs to reach some kind of equality. Regrettably, until we learn to be a little more selfless and tolerant, the world may be doomed to be eternally divided.