Social types poverty

Essay by flutterbye61University, Bachelor'sC+, April 2005

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Last year I went on a course, as part of that course we had to sum up what we thought of different groups in society,

for police the group said racist, bigots, right wing.

For Muslims the groups said fanatics, devout, backward.

For single parents the groups said scroungers, stupid, uneducated.

As I am a single parent this stung to say the least I work full time and do my best, I would consider myself as poor and know if there was a way of staying in a two parent relationship I would have. I realised stereotypes can not be relied on.

While it is understood that poverty in the UK is different to the poverty in the third world the effects that poverty has on people in the UK can be as traumatic and no less hurtful to the group. Being poor is not just about not having money or possessions but the whole package of being poor runs deep health suffers life-expectancy shortened and children of such families are disadvantaged educationally.

Poverty also means being powerless it gives you little say in decisions relating to your life and you are also treated as a second class citizen this is the same whether you live in a inner-city estate in Birmingham or a small village in Ethiopia.

To this effect poverty is a social problem and in our capitalist society it is a growing problem. The above stereotypes over simplifies the problem of poverty in a first world country.