Wealth inequalities Flashcards
What are universal benefits?
Are paid to everyone regardless of how much they earn.
What is an example of universal benefits?
The old age pension
What are means-tested benefits?
Are used to ‘top-up’ the income of those earning below a certain amount and dependent upon their circumstances.
What is an example of means tested benefits?
tax credits and free school meals
When someone is described as being poor, what does this usually mean?
The poor, defined as those with less than 60% of median (average) earnings, and have to get by on less than 350 pound a week.
What is seen as the average earning per year, also seen as the largest class in society?
£26,500 a year, £510 a week
The rich class can be seen to earn how much per week?
just over £2000 a week
When does UNICEF describe someone to be living in poverty?
if they are deprived of two or more of seven basic needs : clean water, sanitation, education, information, food and health.
How many people in Britain aged over 16 cannot afford adequate housing conditions?
people aged over 16 13 million people, this is a heavy increase from 1999.
How many adults in Britain are not properly fed by today’s standards?
Around 4 million adults are not properly fed by today’s standards.
Currently, how many adults go without some essential aspects of clothing due to money?
just less than 6 million
What is the poverty line for a couple with two children?
£40,000
What is the poverty line for a single person?
£17,000
When is income support paid to people?
This is paid to people in the UK, who are not working and who do not have to attend a job centre reguarly.
Groups in society who are the most poor, and what percentage they bring to the poor in society?
pensioners - 17%
children - 27%
Working age adults with no children - 36%
working age adults with children- 36%
Who is more likely to find themselves in poverty, single parent families or couple parent families?
Single/lone parent families.
Which gender has a lower income?
Generally, women have a lower income than men.
Why are women more likely to be living in poverty?
Women who are single parents are likely to leave their jobs full time and become a full time carer for their child. They are also seen as being more stereotypically carers of society and may begin to care for elders. `
The UK is the worlds what biggest economy?
6th biggest economy
How many people in the UK live below the poverty line?
1 in 5 people in the UK live below the poverty line
What is the ratio between the amount of whites in Britain being poor to other ethnic minorities?
20% of white people are poor compared with 63% of pakastani and bangladeshi people
How many children in the UK are seen to be living in relative poverty?
3.6 million
What is the average house price in the UK?
£171,000
Those living in social may not have enough money for what?
special celebrations such as birthdays, for toys and books for children and clothes for winter to keep them warm.
Which kind of people are more likely to suffer from social exclusion?
People who are living in poverty and earning a lower incomes, having a poor health and a poor income.
Where about in scotland is their a poor income in rural areas?
The borders
Where in Scotland is there the highest crime rate?
Glasgow city, followed by Dundee city
Which city has a high life expectancy?
Aberdeenshire
What are the main causes of poverty in the UK?
- government policies
- unemployment
- low- income employment
- age
- gender
- race
- geography
How can the government have an effect on poverty within the UK?
Through taxation and party policy
Direct taxes in the UK are what than almost every other country in Europe?
Are lower than nearly every country in Europe
On average, UK employees pay what percentage of their income in tax and national insurance? and what is this compared with other countries?
The UK pay 25% compared to Germany who pay 42%
VAT rose from 8% to what during 1979 to 2010?
20%
What did labour briefly reduce VAT to?
15%
When Labour was elected in 1997 (Tony Blair) what did they sought to do?
Get people off welfare benefits and get them back into work. This was part of the ‘Welfare to Work’ programme which sought to create a significant difference in the incomes of those who were on benefits and those who were in work, in order to encourage those who were claiming benefits back into work.
To make working more attractive for those claiming benefits what did labour introduce after 1997 (Tony Blair)
National Minimum Wage, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit
Who became president in 1997?
Tony Blair, for the Labour party
What is another way of calling someone unemployed?`
economically inactive