Test 3 Pt. 1 (Ch. 6)

Question 1

equality of income

Answer 1

same opportunity to achieve material-well being

Question 2

equality of outcome

Answer 2

achieve material-well being in situations among different groups in society

Question 3

advantages of the affluent

Answer 3

live longer and better effort best medical care in the world, finest education, and elegant possessions

-discreetly influence politicians, police officer, and other public officials to promote or defend interests

-obtain social preference and shape government policies

Question 4

formal definition of poverty

Answer 4

based on calculation of family food budget

Question 5

informal definition of poverty

Answer 5

not having enough to meet basic needs considered necessary and desirable

Question 6

how gov’t defines poverty line

Answer 6

-U.S. Dptmt. of Agriculture prepares estimates of cost of achieving a minimum lvl. of nutrition based on average food prices

-average low-income family must spend 1/3 on total income on food

-by multiplying family food budget by 3, gov’t arrives at poverty income that can be adjusted for the number of people and family and rising costs of food

-corrected annually for changes in cost of living as measured by consumer price index (CPI)

-made in 1965 by Mollie Orshansky who reasoned the primary measure of the adequacy of a person’s lvl. of living is food consumption

Question 7

inequality of income distribution in U.S.

Answer 7

1% of all households hold over one-third of all personal wealth

-wealthiest 20% of households receive roughly 52% of all income (average $214,941)

-poorest 20% receive less than 4%

Question 8

3 reasons for institution of policies of redistributing wealth

Answer 8

1) the wealthy get more out of the economic system and can afford to pay more taxes

2) wealthy have a greater investment in economic system and should pay more to maintain it

3) redistributing income from rich to poor is fair in a democratic socity

Question 9

resource competition

Answer 9

factors those who’re rich

-wealthfare -> subsidies for the rich

Question 10

Marx’s view of poverty

Answer 10

classification of poverty and class status determined by income

Question 11

Weber’s view of poverty

Answer 11

classification of poverty and class status involves not only income, but attributes of status and power, also unequally distributed

Question 12

impact of poverty on children

Answer 12

1/5 of children live in poverty in the U.S.

inadequate healthcare and nutrition
–undernutrition in pregnancy -> low birth weight
–lower academic performance
–iron deficiency -> weak problem solving abilities, attention deficits, lower long-term IQ
–lack of health insurance

low quality home enviro.
–less nurturing parenting, harsh discipline, less secure attachments
–less stimulation, greater family responsibility for girls

low quality neighborhood
–crime and violence, inferior schools, pollution
–toxic chemicals, drug use, idle adults as role models

parental stress and mental health issues
–adult depression, parental conflict, less social support
–child abuse/neglect, child depression, behavioral problems

few learning resources
–inferior child care, few books, toys, few stimulating activities after school
–high high-school dropout rate, less money for college, lower attendance

housing issues
—-homelessness, frequent moves, utility shutoff, crowding
–rodents and pests, lead paint and other enviro. issues

Question 13

individualistic explanation of poverty

Answer 13

everyone has equal opportunity, people who are poor, particularly welfare recipients, are blatant examples or those who have failed to work hard

-poverty is primarily the result of laziness or lack of motivation, and those who are poor generally have only themselves to blame

-asserts that U.S. is a land of meritocracy, and hard work will reap social and financial rewards

Question 14

structural explanations of poverty

Answer 14

attribute poverty to functioning of dominant institutions of society, like markets and corporations

-assumes poverty is a result of economic or social imbalances within social structure that restrict opportunities for some individuals

-emphasize dual market for labor
–favored groups are given access to better jobs that offer secure employment and good benefits
–minorities and migrants are shunted into another segment of labor market in which jobs pay poorly and offer no security or benefits

Question 15

cultural explanations of poverty

Answer 15

people become adapted to certain ways of life because of the way they’re raised, including adapting to poverty

-argue that “culture of poverty” arises among people who experience extended periods of economic deprivation

-new norms, values, and aspirations merge and become independent of situations that produced them
–eliminating problem doesn’t eliminate behaviors made to deal with it

-results in self-sustaining system of values and behaviors handed down from one gen. to the next

Question 16

New Deal

Answer 16

made by FDR, created welfare institutions and programs w/ Johnson’s Great Society legislation in 1960s

Question 17

welfare reform

Answer 17

1996: Congress passed Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act

-targets parents of children in households whose incomes fall below poverty line

-poor parents who’re formerly entitled to monthly payments or assistance are now required to get jobs or enroll in work training programs to qualify for supplemental assistance through state gov’ts

Question 18

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Answer 18

cash welfare, assists families with children when parents or relatives can’t provide for basic needs

-gov’t gives grants to states, promoting job preparation, work, and marriage;

-prevent and reduce incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies

Question 19

Medicare

Answer 19

health care program for elderly

Question 20

Medicaid

Answer 20

health care problem for the poor

Question 21

how poverty impacts other social problems

Answer 21

inequality in education, health care, police protection, job opportunities, legal justice, and housing

-people require more medical treatment and have longer and more serious illness

-children are more likely to die than those who are affluent, and life expectancy is below national avg.

-apt to live in deteriorating neighborhoods located near toxic waste sites

-more likely to become criminals or juvenile delinquents, contribute more teen pregnancy, alcoholism, and violence to U.S. society than other socioeconomic groups

Question 22

poverty statistics (pick 3)

Answer 22

11% (800 million) people are so poor they subsist on < $2 daily

-1% of households hold >1/3 of personal wealth

-wealthiest 20% of households get 52% of all income

-poorest 20% get less than 4% of income

-2/3 of SNAP benefits go to families w/ children

-6% (9 million) of nation’s labor force are working at wages so low they remain below the poverty threshold

-children from poor backgrounds knew 60% fewer words vs. children from middle-income households

-for every 100 families in children in poverty, 23 receive TANF benefits

-in 13 states, < 10% of poor families w/ children receive TANF

-for 86% of families leaving TANF, their earnings were below the poverty lvl.

-just under 13% of Americans live below the poverty line

Question 23

welfare state

Answer 23

type of country in which a significant portion of the GDP is taken by the gov’t to provide certain minimum lvls. of social welfare for those who are poor, elderly, or disabled, among others

Question 24

working poor

Answer 24

people who, in a year, spent at least 27 weeks in labor force working or looking for work, but whose incomes fall below poverty lvl.

Question 25

social stratification

Answer 25

pattern in which people and groups find themselves in different positions in social order
-positions that enjoy varying amounts of access to desirable goods and services

Question 26

class stratification

Answer 26

stratification of individuals and groups according to their access to jobs, incomes, skills, and opportunities

Question 27

food insecurity

Answer 27

condition defined by United States Dptmt. of Agri. (USD) as not having enough food available on a regular basis