Lecture 9: Poverty and Welfare

Question 1

Define ‘Absolute Poverty’

Answer 1

A condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services.

Question 2

Define ‘Relative Poverty’

Answer 2

Relates to deprivation to the overall standard of living of a particular society.

Question 3

Explain why the group ‘Women’ is at higher risk of poverty

Answer 3

• Likelihood of women (daughters and daughter in law) to give up their job to care for children and other dependents much greater
• away from employment for care giving needs, becomes poor (no cpf)
• Substantial time away from employment, harder to re-enter workforce and pay will be lower when they do so

Question 4

Explain why the group ‘Older People’ is at higher risk of poverty

Answer 4

• Stop working
• Failing health - health care cost
• They dig into their savings and gets poorer

Question 5

Explain ‘Blame the Victim’ perspective

Answer 5

The ‘Blame the Victim’ perspective focuses on the individuals and deem them responsible for their poverty situation.

• that individuals create their own problems
• that they lack genetic qualities such as intelligence
• that families who are poor have certain belief system which socialises children into poverty

Question 6

Explain ‘Blame the System’ perspective

Answer 6

‘Blame the System’ perspective looks at the economic, political and social systems which cause people to have limited opportunities
EXAMPLE: discrimination of age
- it could be that people, institutions and cultures in certain areas lack the objective resources needed to generate well-being and income
- and also that individuals and their community close other opportunities when they get caught in problems

Question 7

Describe Ted K Bradshaw’s ‘Individual Deficiency Theory of Poverty (Theory 1) and applications

Answer 7

• That competitions rewards winners and punishes those who do not work hard and make bad choices.
• Individual can succeed by skills and hard work, motivation and persistence
  Case study could be using

EXAMPLE: causes of poverty like drinking/gambling/bad choices/poor planning.

Anti-poverty programes:

• drug rehabilitation
• Second Chance programmes
• Use training and counselling to help poor individuals to overcome problems

Question 8

Explain the Functionalist Perspectives on Poverty and how it contributes to the order and stability of society

Answer 8

• Poverty helps ensure stability
• only the poorer people will be willing to take any low-skilled jobs and be paid lower
• employment created for social welfare professionals