The Functional Approach to Poverty in “No, Poverty Has Not Disappeared”, Essay Example

The functional approach to poverty in “No, Poverty Has Not Disappeared”, by Herbert J. Gans, identifies the tasks poverty performs in American society. It impacts the state of affairs in the economic system and social hierarchy substantially.

Usually, people with different statuses purchase different goods. The rich satisfy their gourmet tastes by buying food of the highest quality, brought exclusively from all over the world. Undoubtedly, foodstuff for poor does not attract them. The abundant market of goods and services, as well, does not always offer products of decent quality. The sub-quality reflects on low price, which the poor can pay for merchandise. To save the money, they buy cut-down price products with exceeded time limits of expiration date, or stale bread.  The same situation is in the service sphere. The poor have to do with less expensive or aged, or lacking ability specialists (doctors, lawyers, and teachers).

Every society develops belief and stereotypes, though not always reasonable ones. One of the primary social functions of poverty is to assert the stereotype existing in American society that people with low SES are deviant. It is a common point of view that poverty depends on the man himself. Obviously, it relates to belief in self-made man, American dream, sufficiency of ambitions for successful work; the poor are guilty in their financial status. This viewpoint also assumes that hard work is desirable. If a man needs money, he will be glad to execute any work. If not, such selectivity may be named laziness. Nevertheless, most middle and upper class members consider hard conditions of work normal for the poor. The deviation of low SES is also associated with the poor as potential criminals. In detecting crimes, police officers give heightened interest to underprivileged residents. They possess evident motifs for committing certain crimes, like shoplifting, thefts.

One more social function of poverty assumes that the poor benefit society in diverse ways. Hiring the poor domestics for house management, the upper and middle class career women and housewives do not waste their time for dish washing or cleaning. On the other hand, medical experiments testing new medicine, as a rule, involve the poor, which discard the consequences for their health because of earnings pursuit. It benefits entire society because there should be someone who should approve drugs before they come into the market. This aspect seems to be more significant in comparison with relief of life of more affluent residents provided by the low SES members.

From the first sight, poverty does fulfill many meaningful functions in the country. However, the functional approach seems authoritative attempt to justify the existence of poverty itself. It relieves the country leaders of responsibility for the poor’s financial condition. Besides, the majority of functions named by Gans provide benefits primarily for the affluent. This approach is, then, one-way. Sociologists do not regard poverty from the point of its benefits for the poor. Historical events prove that privileges given to only one class usually leads to class conflict.

Sociologists survey the possibilities to replace the functions of poverty by other activities and factors which do not involve low SES people. This could be partially accomplished in some spheres. Scientists suggest applying mechanized devices for dirty works, to make this toil highly paid. Still, political functions are hard to replace. Evidently, it is hard to overcome the stereotypes concerning the poor and their potential criminal status or deviance.

Gans states that “poverty persists because … many of the functional alternatives to poverty would be dysfunctional for the affluent members of society”. Some measures concerning transformations and poverty functions substitution would surely diminish poverty rates. The rich ruling the world are not willing to change the state of affairs. If the low class vanishes there will be no volunteers for dirty work, for serving the affluent households.