Chapter 2 – Poverty (Chapter Review)

Flashcards cover measurement, patterns, explanations, consequences, and reduction strategies for U.S. and global poverty as discussed in Chapter 2.

Who originally calculated the U.S. official poverty line and in what year?

Government economist Mollie Orshansky in 1963.

How was the original U.S. poverty line determined?

By tripling the cost of a very minimal diet, assuming families spent one-third of income on food.

List two major problems with the current official U.S. poverty measure.

(1) It ignores rising costs for items such as housing, childcare, and health care; (2) It omits non-cash benefits and regional cost-of-living differences.

What was the official U.S. poverty line for a non-farm family of four in 2010?

$22,213.

Define “twice-poverty” data.

Statistics that count families with incomes below twice the official poverty line to capture near-poor households.

Approximately what percentage of Americans lived in official poverty in 2010?

15.1 % (about 46.2 million people).

According to the Supplemental Poverty Measure, what was the 2010 U.S. poverty rate?

16.0 % (about 49.1 million people).

What proportion of Americans live at or below twice the poverty line?

Roughly one-third, or more than 100 million people.

What is episodic poverty?

Being poor for at least two consecutive months within a given time period.

Which racial/ethnic group makes up the largest number of poor Americans?

Non-Latino Whites (about 42 % of the poor).

Which two racial/ethnic groups have poverty rates nearly three times that of non-Latino Whites?

African Americans (≈27 %) and Latinos (≈27 %).

What term describes the disproportionately high poverty of women?

The feminization of poverty.

Compare poverty rates for female-headed families versus married-couple families.

≈31.6 % of female-headed families are poor versus ≈6.2 % of married-couple families.

What percentage of U.S. children were officially poor in 2010?

About 22 % (≈16.4 million children).

Which U.S. region has the highest poverty rate?

The South (≈16.9 %).

True or False: Most poor adults are not working because they are lazy.

False. About 80 % are working, seeking work, too young/old, disabled, or in the armed forces.

State the functionalist explanation for social stratification.

Stratification is necessary to motivate people with needed skills to occupy society’s most important jobs.

How does conflict theory explain poverty?

As a result of lack of opportunity and discrimination imposed by the powerful on the less powerful.

What does symbolic interactionism focus on regarding poverty?

How poverty shapes daily interaction, self-concept, and lived experience.

Differentiate the individualistic and structural explanations of poverty.

Individualistic: poverty stems from personal failings or a ‘culture of poverty.’ Structural: poverty arises from unequal opportunity, low wages, and systemic factors.

Name two family problems more common among the poor due to heightened stress.

Higher rates of divorce and domestic violence (other acceptable: child neglect, family conflict).

List two health consequences linked to poverty.

Greater infant mortality and higher rates of chronic illness or mental health issues.

How does early childhood poverty biologically affect children?

Chronic stress elevates cortisol, impairing brain development, memory, and immune function.

What percentage of U.S. homeless individuals each year are children?

Roughly 20 % (≈300,000 of 1.6 million).

Explain the relationship between poverty and street crime.

Poverty increases both the likelihood of committing street crime and of being victimized by it.

What share of world income goes to the richest fifth of the global population?

About 75 %.

How does the World Bank currently define extreme global poverty?

Living on less than $1.25 per person per day.

Name the two main theories used to explain global poverty.

Modernization theory and dependency theory.

Summarize modernization theory in one sentence.

Poor nations are poor because they failed to adopt modern cultural values and practices that foster economic growth.

Summarize dependency theory in one sentence.

Poor nations are poor due to historical and ongoing exploitation by wealthy nations and multinational corporations.

Give two key health indicators where poor nations fare far worse than rich nations.

Much lower life expectancy and much higher child mortality.

What proportion of adults are literate in low-income nations?

About 69 %.

Identify one micro-level strategy currently used to reduce global poverty.

Microfinancing (small loans or direct cash transfers to the poor).

List three U.S. policy ideas that scholars suggest could reduce poverty.

(1) Raise the minimum wage and create public-works jobs, (2) expand child-care subsidies and earned income tax credits, (3) implement universal health insurance (others acceptable: early childhood programs, affordable housing, Pell Grant expansion).

Why do many sociologists argue the United States neglects its poor?

Widespread belief that poverty results from individual failings leads to limited political will for antipoverty programs.

Why might focusing aid on women be especially effective in poor nations?

Women tend to spend extra income on family essentials like food, medicine, and education rather than on personal consumption.

Define the term “feminization of poverty.”

The trend in which women represent a disproportionately large share of the poor.