Effects of Poverty on Educational and Life Experiences of Children and Young People, Research Paper Example

Definition of terms

Poverty- it can be defined as the scarcity or a state of lack of certain material possessions necessary for the actualization of dreams as well as management of day-to-day expenses.

A child living in poverty- it is a phenomenon that is attributed to the children from poor families and orphans, conditions linked to limited or absence of sufficient resources

Summary

Children are entitled and have the rights of accessing a standard living, which makes it possible for them to live healthy lives devoid of hardships. The living standards are expected to provide an enabling environment for children to activate their full potential while at the same time having the capacity to participate fully within the society. Children should be accorded a level playing field for actuating their dreams. A child living in poverty is a phenomenon that is attributed to the children from poor families and orphans, conditions linked to limited or absence of sufficient resources (Mattingly and Johnson et al., 2011). Every country has a set standard of living defined by the poverty index and a baseline, which acts as a guide for distinguishing poverty and acceptable living standards. The global poverty line has been established as the people who live and earn below a dollar a day. However, living on two dollars a day and below is considered as living in poverty. It is essential that children grow up in an enabling environment in which they can access food, shelter, clothing, education, and healthcare. The deprivation of a basic need is detrimental to the growth and development of children physically and psychologically. Children living in poverty can be classified into two broad categories that include children from families with working parents and the children from families where the parents are unemployed (Vleminckx and Smeeding, 2001).

Poverty amongst working parents can be attributed to low wages and different unstable working environments. These situations leave such families at a precarious situation of living devoid sufficient money to cater for all their basic needs (Lindsey, 2009). Poverty is determining factor that can impede a child’s learning ability while at the same time contributing to the emotional, behavioral, and social problems. Poor mental and physical health have a great bearing on the direction a child’s life takes and this has lasting implications in their adulthood leading to a concept referred to as intergenerational poverty (Vleminckx and Smeeding, 2001). Intergenerational poverty is a condition of the transmission of poverty from one generation to another amongst specified families. It is necessary for different agencies and government organizations to step up measures aimed at the reduction and eradication of poverty (Mattingly and Johnson et al., 2011). Such measures should be all-inclusive and accommodate the needs of children living in poverty as the future drivers of a nation’s and global economy.

Problem statement

Children growing up in poverty have negative attributes in their adulthood a trend that should be reversed. Notably, the consequences of children growing up in poverty include the continuance of the poverty cycle (Mattingly and Johnson et al., 2011). This cycle can be best described by the concept of intergenerational poverty where one family passes its poor living conditions from one generation to the other. This concept of intergenerational poverty has negative consequences on the development of a society and the progression of social evils. Poverty is a major cause of different social evils such as crime, a trend that is worsened when children grow up in poverty and lack the opportunity of advancing their careers. This forces them to engage in different activities detriment to a society’s values. Children, just as all human beings are entitled to enjoy the benefits stipulated in globally accepted human rights that include the right to shelter, education, clothing, and food. Children hold equal potential and require a level field of exploiting their talents for the success of the nation (Lindsey, 2009).

Rationale for the study

This study has been informed by various factors including the consensus across the globe on the need for poverty eradication. Poverty is one of the negative aspects attributed to the lack of social balance and slower economic growth of different nations as well as the globe. The eradication of poverty can be implemented using different approaches and this study provides one of the best alternatives. The study is directed to policy makers, nongovernmental organizations as well as the civil society (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan, 1997). It is the prerogative of different stakeholders to ensure that universal goals such as education and health are achieved, but at the same time, it is important to know and understand the conditions faced by different children within the society and educational institutions. Children living in poverty are faced by difficulties in pursuing their education alongside other social interactions and these may deter their progress and actualization of their potentials (Minijun and Delamonica et al., 2005). Children are the future drivers of economic growth and provide room for a worthy investment. Governments should formulate policies and strategies to be implemented with other stakeholders to ensure all children are accorded similar opportunities to exploit their potential (Vleminckx and Smeeding, 2001). Notably, the lack of arresting the situation at an early stage breeds adults who perpetuate the poor living conditions increasing the burden on a society and thus effectively having a negative impact on the economy.

Statement of the research

The purpose and objectives of this study is to ensure that government and other stakeholders take up an active role in the reduction and elimination of cases of children living in poverty across the globe. The study is aimed at identifying the possible solutions that can be included in the policy formulation stage in the eradication of poverty. It aims to understand the consequences of children and young people growing up in poverty in their adult life (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan, 1997). It aims at connecting and linking poverty to the growth of children into poor adults adding to the dependency ratio of a country. The study shall determine the relationship between children growing up in poverty and the increased levels of poverty across the globe (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan, 1997). At the same time, the study shall also identify the connection between increased and sustained social evils to children and young people living in poverty. The study is focused towards the reduction and elimination of children growing up in poverty through the creation of sustainable economic activities for the parents of the affected children (Minijun and Delamonica et al., 2005). The study sensitizes the society and other stakeholders to take up an active role in the identification process of children and the young people who live in poverty. Identification is an important step in the formulation of effective strategies to empower poor families in economic and social terms.

Hypothesis

The study proposes to eradicate poverty amongst children living in poverty a situation that is expected to improve their living conditions as well as aid in actuating their potential. Elimination or a reduction in the number of children living in poverty will lead to an improvement in the economic condition of a nation due to the increase in input. The reduction of children living in poverty will lead to an increase in the standards of education within a nation and the globe at large. This will increase the level of expertise and skilled labor within the market and thus have a positive effect on the aggregate economy. Addressing the issue of children living in poverty will have the long-term effects of reducing the social evils within different communities. If a government implements a policy on the eradication of poverty amongst children and young people, then the nation will benefit from reduction in poverty, dependency ratio, increased educational achievements, and a decrease in social evils.

References

Brooks-Gunn, J., and Duncan, G. (2007). The effects of poverty on children. The future of children, pp. 55–71

Lindsey, D. (2009). Child poverty and inequality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Mattingly, M., Johnson, K. and Schaefer, A. (2011). More poor kids in more poor places: children increasingly live where poverty persists. Durham, NH: Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire

Minijun, A., Delamonica, E., Gonzalez, E., and Davidziuk, A. (2005). Children living in poverty. Desk review papers for UNICEF. [report] New York City: UNICEF, pp. 1-55

Vleminckx, K. and Smeeding, T. (2001). Child well-being, child poverty and child policy in modern nations. Bristol, UK: Policy Press