Poverty is the lack of resources and not being able to access the basic necessities of life. It can be
simply understood as a lack of income or resources to stop the individual from having a living condition that can be considered substantial for living. The individual is considered to fall under the poverty line when they earn less than 60% of the median income. Taking this fact into consideration, thirteen million people in the UK are poor and 3.5 million children are poor or suffering from some sort of deprivation. The issue is becoming an increasing concern in nations worldwide due to emerging inflation. Mollie Orshanky, an American economist, stated that poverty is when an individual is deprived of those facilities that are taken for granted by others.
Top Causes of Global Poverty
There are many various reasons that contribute to the high rate of poverty such as average family income. Furthermore, low average family income is a trend prevalent in Asian and African countries due to the concept of large families. Moreover, in these countries, many families have a sole breadwinner which is usually the male head of the family. The fall in the average family income can be also due to any kind of economic suffering. The Covid-19 is the latest example that has pushed many people below the poverty line due to the economic crisis.
Poverty Line and Developing Matters
The poverty line is the minimum amount of income that is sufficient to acquire basic necessities
of life. Every country has a different line according to their economy. It is higher in developed countries than in developing countries. According to international standards, it is roughly $1 per day.
Social Consequences
The aftereffect of poverty is the “poverty cycle” across individual and global levels. Poverty is the leading cause behind one-third of the deaths that occur worldwide, according to various studies. Poor people have a lower life expectancy rate. Hunger and malnutrition are the main causes of early deaths and child mortality. About 90% of the maternal deaths during childbirth occur in Asian and sub-Saharan Africa, compared to 1% in other developed countries. Poor families prefer that their children earn a daily wage rather than getting a proper education. Furthermore, In poor households, due to a lack of proper healthcare facilities, children face absentees from educational institutes. Such situations and mentality affect the literacy rate negatively. Poverty also increases the risk of homelessness. In urban cities, one-third of the population is actually living in slums. Lastly, it can aggravate violence due to hunger and less income.
This post was made by our contributor Saad Ali Hamza.
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