Poverty definitions and causes

Question 1

What is absolute poverty?

Answer 1

Being without some or all of the basic necessities of life

Question 2

What are the basic necessities of life?

Answer 2

Food, safe drinking water, sanitation, shelter, health, education, access to information

Question 3

What is relative poverty?

Answer 3

Being poor in relation to others in the same society

Question 4

Why are those in relative poverty considered to be poor?

Answer 4

They don’t have a standard of living considered desirable or essential in that society. Their standard of living is significantly lower.

Question 5

What is the poverty line?

Answer 5

The level of income below which people are judged to be in poverty.

Question 6

What is one official way of calculating poverty in the UK?

Answer 6

Having an income less that 60 per cent of the median income

Question 7

What are some f the main causes of poverty?

Answer 7

• Not having paid work
• being in low paid work and
• receiving benefits that still leave people below the poverty line.

Question 8

What is the cycle of poverty?

Answer 8

When poverty tends to be inherited, so the new generation cannot escape the poverty of their parents.

Question 9

What is an example of the cycle of poverty?

Answer 9

A child born into poverty is not likely to do well at school and get the qualifications and skills needed to move up the class ladder compared with children not born into poverty.

Question 10

What is the poverty trap?

Answer 10

When poor people are unable to escape from being poor.

Question 11

Being in poverty is expensive. What are some examples of this?

Answer 11

• The poor cannot afford to travel to cheap supermarkets so they shop at local expensive shops.
• Cannot afford facilities that would enable them to take up opportunities for themselves, such as paying a childminder so they can work for longer hours.
• They buy old or second hand goods that are likely to break down and need to be replaced.

Question 12

What is the culture of poverty?

Answer 12

When poor people have a set of values that keep them in poverty.

Question 13

What are some features of the culture of poverty?

Answer 13

• Having low levels of literacy and education.
• Wanting immediate gratification
• Fatalism
• Not using resources and facilities such as banks and hospitals.

Question 14

What is social exclusion?

Answer 14

People who are unable to take part in the society in the same way as most people are excluded from social goods.