Introduction
Most of us reading this article do not suffer from poverty, and poverty may thus seem far away from us. Nonetheless, poverty is an enduring problem that has been affecting people all over the world since centuries ago. The World Bank Organization describes poverty in this way: “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time.”
Among the 689 million people who live in poverty, many are elderlies, children, or people with disabilities, as they may lack the ability to gain the same amount of income as healthy adults do.
Poverty in elderlies
According to the OECD Income Distribution Database, over 14.1% of individuals aged over 65 live in relative income poverty. Elderly people usually have a relatively heavy financial burden of medical and healthcare expenses. In addition, it may be due to insufficient social security assistance for the elderly. In a lot of developing countries, social security assistance is not one of the priorities of the governments. Gradually, it leads to a huge difference between old-age and total-population poverty rate.
An average elderly needs more nutrition than an average adult. Nonetheless, elder people suffering from poverty rely on cheap, high-calorie foods instead of purchasing fresh and healthy food. This can increase the chances of them suffering from long-term illnesses. Moreover, poverty can severely affect the emotional health of older people, leading to stress or anxiety, which are some of the factors leading to Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
Poverty in children
More than 4 in 10 children live in a household struggling to meet basic expenses. The pandemic in recent years contributed greatly to the increase of children in poverty. Since April 2020, the share of children with at least one unemployed parent has consistently remained above reported rates during the peak of the Great Recession. In particular, single parenthood is an important factor of child poverty. Nearly 30% of single parents live in poverty while just 6% of married couples fit this same statistic. It is due to the fact that single-parent families usually face difficulties relating to socioeconomic status and access to resources.
Poverty in children can bring a lot of consequences. When children are born poor, they have less access to education. In agricultural communities, they often end up having agricultural-related professions which means that these children are highly unlikely to acquire the knowledge they need to get a higher paid job.
Children in poverty may suffer from mental health problems. The correlation between living in poverty and mental health struggles is related to exposure to stress. Some of these stressors include not having their basic needs met, exposure to violence or discrimination, housing or food insecurity, and unemployment of parents. These consequences may contribute to generational poverty and affect these children mentally and physically.
Poverty in People with Disability
In general, people with disabilities are considered the poorest of the poor, with lower levels of education, higher rates of unemployment, and fewer savings. In fact, disability is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Lower access to healthcare for people in poverty leaves them at risk of sickness and injuries, which may eventually lead to disability. On the other hand, disability exacerbates poverty because of the different barriers these people face which reduce their earning potential.
Social exclusion is a major consequence of poverty in people with disabilities. Exclusion from access to health care services, to higher education, and to employment contributes to the creation of a vicious circle between disability and poverty, causing generational poverty.
Conclusion
Poverty is a complex societal issue which is affecting a large population and bringing severe impacts on the groups of people who are more economically, physically or mentally vulnerable. In many countries, social welfare programs are provided for those in poverty, however, more is needed, as it is one of the most pressing problems that the world faces today. Therefore, it is an issue that requires everyone’s attention and efforts to try and make a change.
Want to know more? Check out our sources!
Pensions at a Glance 2021: OECD and G20 Indicators: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/d76e4fad-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/d76e4fad-en
4 in 10 Children Live in a Household Struggling to Afford Basics: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/basic-facts-children-poverty/
Unemployment and child health during COVID-19 in the USA: https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2468-2667%2820%2930207-3
(Cover image taken from African Population and Health Research Centre)
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