Family Dynamics and Poverty: Key Points

The Changing Family

Family Values and Functions

• The family is an evolving institution that establishes societal values.

• Key family functions:

  • Procreation

  • Socialization

  • Enculturation

• Families offer:

  • Protection

  • Financial and emotional support

  • Meeting basic, medical, and educational needs

  • Interpretation of the world.

Family Systems

• The family operates as a system of interconnected subsystems.

• Roles and rules govern internal and external family relations.

• Communication patterns influence the family system and its interactions.

• Analyzing families as systems helps identify and change intergenerational patterns.

Family Make-Up

• Family structures include:

  • Two-parent

  • Dual-wage-earner

  • Single-parent

  • Blended

• Intergenerational families are becoming less common.

• Kinship caregivers are increasingly important.

• Attachment within families is foundational; disruptions can impair future relationships.

• Families go through life cycles; trauma can disrupt these stages.

Influence of Culture

• Culture significantly impacts family dynamics.

• Various cultural groups (e.g., African American, Hispanic, Asian) have unique:

  • Values

  • Communication styles

  • Spiritual beliefs.

Stressors on Families

• Major stressors include:

  • Role definition and inequality

  • Parent-child relationship issues

  • Difficulty coping with disabilities.

• Factors influencing the U.S. family's future:

  • Economic pressures

  • Declining marriage rates

  • Evolving father roles

  • Blended families

  • Unresolved childhood conflicts.

Children & Families in Poverty

Poverty

• Poverty is defined by:

  • Absolute poverty

  • Relative poverty

  • Self-Sufficiency Standard.

• Defines a family’s capacity to meet essential needs.

• Children are disproportionately affected, with rising rates over the past two decades and are the largest population living in poverty in the United States today.

• The recession of 2008 increased child poverty and homelessness, particularly among minorities.

Intersection of Factors

• Factors intensifying poverty:

  • Slow economic recovery

  • Constricted employment and increased family homelessness.

• Stressors contributing to childhood poverty:

  • Family violence

  • Runaway behavior

  • Issues surrounding LGBTQ youth

  • Limited access to education

  • Disabilities

  • Immigration status.

• Maternal education significantly impacts children’s outcomes.

Effects of Poverty

• Children in poverty face:

  • Health concerns

  • Lack of health insurance

  • Poor education

  • Inadequate housing

  • Increased violence.

• Homelessness increases risk behaviors.

• Access to healthcare is a key challenge.

• Family stress leads to increased abuse and neglect, requiring trauma-informed responses.

Programs and Progress

• Programs addressing needs of poor children and families.

  • Financial

  • Health

  • Disabilities

  • Childcare and education

  • Housing needs

• Self Sufficiency Standard to boost resource utilization.

• Poverty reduction requires multifaceted approaches and changes to public policy, civic engagement, and volunteer efforts.