This week in class the focus has been on generational poverty. There are a lot of key factors that lead to poverty. Poverty does not exist because people want it to. Poverty is a way of life for those who don’t know another way and feel that they don’t have a way out. Every day in society people turn their heads or frown up their nose at people who they see living in poverty because they think they are better than them and will not lift a hand to help them out. The big question is why do we do this? In most cases, the poverty line or clash of the classes are based on wealth and there is certainly a variation in the wealth among the population. But classism exists from the beginning of education to death. Schools pass out grades and establish an intelligence stratification. The better students take higher academic classes and separate themselves from students taking lower academic classes. College graduates typically achieve better incomes than non-college graduates and raise higher in wealth and stratification. Though it may seem unfair, typically those who achieve better grades are those individuals who apply themselves and try hard to get out of the situation that they are in if it is bad. Achieve is rewarded while sloth is not rewarded. Society works best this way, because it gives incentives for everyone to achieve, while not rewarding those who do not make and effort or better yet even try. Woman play a big role in the family when it comes to poverty. Most of the families are single parented. In this paper, I will be discuss what generational poverty is. Also I will discuss and identify the complex factors involved in overcoming generational poverty, explain challenges the aged face when there is a lack of access to employment and describe the unique challenges that women face through the different life stages. Lastly it will be explained how what I have learned changed my perspective and the way in which I approach
References: Jerry V. Diller, Cultural Diversity. A Primer for the Human Services, Fourth Edition, 2011 Arnst, C. 2007. “Women and the Pay Gap.” Bloomberg Businessweek. Accessed February 2013 http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-04-26/women-and-the-pay-gap. Boushey, H., J. Aarons, and L. Smith. 2010. “Families Can’t Afford the Gender Wage Gap.” Center for American Progress. Accessed February 2013. http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2010/04/pdf/equal_pay_day.pdf.