Poverty As A Social Issue

Iretha Clarke Prof. Kenneth Rothman
Sociology 100
May 28, 2013

INVESTIGATE A SOCIAL ISSUE

Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea because of what people hands have wrought, so now we will taste something of what they have done.

Such is the case with world poverty and pollution
Poverty
All-round the world there are many people faced with poverty, whether it is in the rich or in the poor nations, poverty has always been present. There are a large number of women living in poverty; women with inadequate income following divorce, widowhood, or retirement, as well as women rising children alone. Wage discrimination against women is a factor, women who work full time, year round earning only about two-third of what men earns, millions of women hold full time jobs that pay wages nearly below the poverty line; In addition; fewer than half the women raising children alone are awarded child support and fewer than half of those entitled to it, do not receive the full amount, the consequence of these situations creates homelessness. Poverty is particularly hard on children, it mars their brain development, and poor nutrition and exposure to environmental toxin are not always the case, as many people may believe. Researcher have found that children growing up in very poor families experience unhealthy levels of stress hormones that impairs memory and language acquisition. In America, many people think that those described as “poor”, are pretty well off. The truth is, millions of Americans endure hunger, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “11.1 % of U.S. household lack food security”, and in 4.7 million American households, one or more persons go hungry during the year. In most cities in America, a visitor is likely to see people roaming the streets in tattered clothing, picking food out of garbage cans, and sleeping in doorways or in market shacks and abandoned cars. Fact is, before the economic meltdown, (The Great Depression of the 1930s), the average American adult had a 10% chance of living at least one year below the poverty line and a 33% chance of experiencing dire poverty and now in the 2000’s there is not much change. These are the facts; almost half the world, over 3 billion people, lives on less than $2.50 a day. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 riches people combined. Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen. One billion children live in poverty (1in 2 children in the world), 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million Died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day). The future for these children looks bleaks.
Poverty and Pollution The diseases that are curable here in the West, is causing much death in Third World countries. The diseases in Third World countries are rampant, and starvation is no stranger, it is the leading cause of the deaths. Vitamin deficiency and the lack of food are leading to malnutrition that causes painful deaths. Water is another factor, here in the U.S. and around the world. Water is the life blood of the earth but according to the UN. By 2005, two-third of the world population could face chronic shortages of water. Some countries are already importing huge super tanks of fresh water from other countries. A variety of sources can pollute the water. Especially when the water is not properly cleaned and treated, this pollution can have major impacts on human health.

DUMPING ABROAD

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