A Social Class Perspective on Development

QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD

In the United States, the federal government determines poverty based on family income relative to family size and composition.
The poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children was $19,874 in 2005.
The table shows the U.S. statistics on poverty for 2005 (latest data before press).
Neighborhoods with a large number of poor households tend to have poor schools.
Schools that have functioned successfully under different economic conditions emphasize academics, are embedded in their communities, and provide a safe and encouraging environment for children.

Any society exerts an enormous influence on the development of its members, and this influence is conveyed in ways that are subtle but powerful. While money may or may not make you happy, it definitely gives you access not only to basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter, but also to the advantages children need to develop to their fullest potential in a postindustrial society, such as medical and dental care, transportation, and a good education. Poverty is about more than money.

To determine a person’s poverty status, the U.S. Census Bureau compares the person’s total family income in the last 12 months with the poverty threshold appropriate for that person’s family size and composition. If the total income of that person’s family is less than the threshold appropriate for that family, then the person is considered poor or “below the poverty level,” together with every member of his or her family. The poverty threshold, which is reset each year, is determined by multiple factors. The interaction of poverty, children, and education is a burning issue for our society. First, however, we address the extent of poverty itself. In 2005, the poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children in the United States was $19,874.

THE CULTURE OF POVERTY

Table 10-1 presents the total number of people living in poverty in the United States, by age and race. To summarize the statistics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007):

The official poverty rate in 2006 was 12.3%, not statistically different from 2005.
In 2006, 36.5 million people were in poverty, again not statistically different from 2005.
Poverty rates remained statistically unchanged for blacks (24.3%) and non-Hispanic whites (8.2%) between 2005 and 2006; however, the rate decreased for Hispanics from 21.8% in 2005 to 20.6% in 2006.
The poverty rate rose between 2000 and 2004 (11.3% to 12.7%) before declining to 12.3% in 2006. This compares with a poverty rate for 1959 of 22.4%, the first year for which poverty rates are available.
The 2006 poverty rate for children younger than age 18 (17.4%) remained higher than for people ages 18 to 64 years old (10.8%) and for elders aged 65 and older (9.4%).
The rates for children younger than age 18 and ages 18 to 64 years old were unchanged statistically, although the rate for elders (9.4%) was a decrease from 2005 (10.1%).
Families with a female head of household and no husband have a much higher poverty rate (28.3%) than married couples (4.9%) or families with a male head of household and no wife (13.2%).