Essay CIT-6 - 'Assess the reasons why some social groups are more likely than others to experience poverty.'

Written by Charlotte Brady (March 2008)

Introduction

In the UK, we are surrounded by different social groups, with some being more likely to experience poverty then others. These groups can suffer from social exclusion; the mixture of different problems that link together, such as unemployment, lack of skills, inadequate housing, poor health, high crime and family division. The aspects that can lead to these problems include age, gender, ethnicity, social class, location and poverty.

Social exclusion leads to social inequality. With a growing gap between the rich and the poor, eventually it will be very difficult to mix with others from different backgrounds and social classes.

This essay will look at poverty within the UK and why some social groups are more likely to experience it than others.

It is primarily important that I first explain the two types of poverty in the UK. These are absolute poverty and relative poverty.

Absolute poverty

Absolute poverty is when an individual lacks the basic resources in order to maintain an adequate level of diet, living accommodation and clothing. So for example, when an individual is sleeping on the streets, they are exposing themselves to the cold and illnesses such as pneumonia, as would individuals without adequate clothing. If an individual doesn’t get the daily recommendation of calories, they are very likely to lose weight and suffer malnutrition. This extreme kind of poverty, however, I feel is more likely to be seen in Third World countries such as parts of Africa and South America. On the other hand, I am not dismissing that there isn’t absolute poverty in this country either, but that the majority of those on or under the poverty line are in relative poverty.

Relative poverty

Relative poverty refers to where an individual has the basics and not necessarily the health problems. However, they still do not hold the resources to be able to participate in society fully as there is still a lack in resources such as buying computers, books, newspapers, money for travel and other material features. When looking at what “essentials” are in order to be able to “participate fully in society”, items can vary between individuals. Some may say that having a T.V is needed in order to play a full part in society. Others say not being able to afford all the resources your child needs for school means you are unable to participate in society. That is why there is such a problem in the definition, which can lead to complications when being considered by the state. If the list of essentials grows, then so does the definition.

Familiar themes in poverty include lack of household insurance, participation in civic activities such as going to libraries and using public services, activities such as holidays and having a bank account, and inadequate housing. It was discovered by the Joseph Rowntree Foundations that levels of poverty were highest among such social groups as women, children, pensioners, lone parents, large families and households with no wage earners.

Ethnic groups

For some ethnic minority groups, aspects such as unemployment, living standards and welfare are major problems. Ethnic groups rely on social inclusion to be involved in, for example, education and employment, and for some, this is hard if you cannot speak or speak little of the native language or are illiterate, as it will be harder to become involved and excepted in society.

In a study by Dean, H and Melrose (1999), it was found that there is a large difference in employment between white employees and ethnic minority employees. White employees had an average earnings of £7.73, whilst Indians received £7.12, Afro Caribbeans £6.88 and Pakistanis and Bangladeshis £6.43. . Those from ethnic minorities are more likely to be in jobs with low pay such as cleaning, catering and the service industry.

It was also found that 8% of the white population and 27% of the Pakistani and Bangladeshi population were unemployed. Young Afro-Caribbean men aged 16 to 24 were found to be three times more likely to be unemployed then those the same age and white. Under 50% of women from ethnic minorities are employed compared to over 65% of white women.

Problems in inadequate housing among ethnic minorities are high. With a comparison of 2% of the white population, 30% of Pakistanis and 47% of Bangladeshis living in overcrowded housing according to the 1991 consensus, it is plain to see why those in ethnic minorities are more likely to experience poverty then others. In a more recent study of households in Bradford, a shocking 65% of Bangladeshis and 45% of Pakistanis lived in overcrowded housing.

With the education system showing a predominantly white, middle class, male bias, the teachers are more likely to be of this background. Therefore, it is seen that those who are not of this upbringing will be disadvantaged from this ethnocentric and eurocentric system. Many ethnic minority groups adopt the anti-school subculture, discovered in a study of 12 working class teenage boys in a comprehensive school, by the sociologist Paul Willis. The anti-school subculture is when pupils reject the norms and values of the education system and concentrate more on “having a laugh” and bully those who want to learn calling them “ear ’oles”.

With education being a very important factor in influencing one’s future, those from low income families need to do well in order to break the chain.

Looking at statistics, it has been shown that Indians, in particular girls, do the best at school, coming top in nearly all subjects and 55% of girls and 52% of boys getting 5 A*-Cs at GCSE. Bangladeshi and Pakistani pupils on the other hand, tend to do just about second to worst, with only 32% of girls and 29% of boys achieving the 5 grades. Black or Afro-Caribbean pupils were a very close last place to the Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils with only 35% of girls and 23% of boys gaining 5 A*-Cs. This division is carried on at A level standard in a survey in 1998, with 36% of Indian pupils gaining 2 or more A levels, compared to 29% of white pupils.

As mentioned before with the anti-school subculture, another subculture adopted in ethnic minorities is anti-police. The majority of stop and searches carried out are on young black men and this supposed prejudice was revealed after the investigation into the murder of black teenager, Stephen Lawerence; the MacPherson Report. His parents were discriminated against and the investigation was not prioritized by the police. It was admitted after the investigation by the police that they were “institutionally racist” and that, if Stephen had been white, the investigation would have only taken a few weeks, not years. This constant bad experience will only lead to more crime and poverty due to lack of respect for the police.

The Race Relations Act was set up in 1976 and reformed in 2000. It made the discrimination on race and ethnicity in the workplace illegal in such areas as job application, pay and organization membership.

The working class

In the 1980s, during the Thatcher era, the working class suffered enormously. They experienced severe cut in jobs, with mines, factories, ship building factories and steel works being closed down. This caused devastation and an increase in poverty within the class. It especially affected the men due to sudden uncertainty in work and confusion. Before the closure, men left school at an early age with no or little qualifications, and assumed that they would enter the manual workforce. However, this massive cut in jobs for the working class meant that such places as Sheffield were replaced with the service and retail sector. But these men had no skills to be able to participate in this industry and men found it hard to deal with the fact they were in some cases being replaced by women as the main breadwinners. This led to a large increase in unemployment and poverty. Men were reluctant to learn new skills in order to participate in society and therefore turned to addictions such as drink and drugs, factors that can lead to poverty.

As with the ethnic minorities, the working class adopt sub cultures such as the anti-school subculture discovered by Paul Willis.12 working class boys in their final year at a comprehensive school were studied in a longitudinal study that followed them into their first years in employment. He found that they adopted the same attitudes at work as they did at school, finding it more important to have a laugh and ignore the establishment’s norms and values then doing work and gaining qualifications. This lead to a circle in the working class as they followed the same path as their parents had previously.

This lack of adequate housing, unemployment, higher crime and lack of education and skills leads in some cases to relevant poverty in the working class community. The dependency on the welfare state gives no enthusiasm or encouragement to go out and seek employment. The adoption of the nanny state is supposed to prevent poverty and brings people up above the poverty line. But it can be seen to actually make things worse.

In conclusion

In evaluation, I have looked at two social groups and how they may experience poverty and why. I do not believe that there is a lot of absolute poverty in this country but is mostly in such places as Third world countries. However, I do feel that there is some relevant poverty among certain social groups such as the ones I have mentioned and unless they are dealt with, will become a bigger problem in the foreseeable future. Living in a welfare state, we are able to be slightly more fortunate then others in other countries as the state tries to bring people above the poverty line using benefits. The acceptance of ethnic minorities over the last 50 years has hugely increased and slowly but surely, equality is leveling out. In the working class, men are more willing to gain new skills and try new employment to say 20 years ago. This should help to stop the cycle of working class poverty and help improve crime rates and the amount of people in poverty.

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