The Causes and Problems Resulted From Poverty - Essay Example

? Outline (personal requirement of the Introduction 2. Background 3. Areas with high poverty index 4. Causes of poverty 4 Corruption 4.2. Unemployment 5. Effects of poverty 5.1. Crime 5.2. Lack of proper education 5.3. Poor health care 6. Conclusion First Name Last Name Supervisor Subject Day Month Year Problem of Poverty Introduction Poverty is probably one of the major problems that affect the majority of people all over the world. According to Hobson and Boll (2004), poverty basically refers to the state of living - a very low standard of life, living on less than a dollar or two per day. It is reported that almost every country, developed or underdeveloped, experiences some degree of poverty at some time. Nevertheless, the greatest brunt of it is felt mostly in developing countries. The poverty levels also differ from one region to another, mainly due to inequitable distribution of national wealth. This is mainly apparent in developed countries where poverty is rife only in secluded areas. However, the effect of poverty in developing nations is felt almost everywhere. Royce (2009) reported that an individual may be born in a society where poverty is already rife or be overcome by poverty due to unfortunate occurrences, such as job loss, disease, and bankruptcy among others. Nevertheless, many studies have been conducted in an attempt to unearth the causes and effects of poverty all over the world. This paper will explore the causes and problems that result from poverty. Background Poverty is a social crisis which affects every part of the society and culture. It pertains to a situation where an individual or a society has low income, resulting in illiteracy due to the lack of proper access to education, health care, markets, and decision making authority. Its effects also include lack of communal facilities, such as proper sanitation, transport system, water and roads, and proper communication links. It is reported that more than half of the world is poor, with people living on less than 2.50USD a day. This figure is put at over 3 billion people. The same report also reveals that out of the 3 billion people affected by poverty, over 1 billion are children. The statistics found out that about 640 live in dilapidated shelters or have none at all; 400 million are not accessible to safe water while 270 million cannot access health services. In Hobson and Boll (2004) it is also revealed that more than 10.6 million children below the age of five succumbed to poverty in 2003. Areas with high levels of poverty Economic research shows that poverty is rife mainly in developing countries of the world. The areas which are mainly affected include Africa, India, South Asia, and South America. This does not mean that developed countries as the US are not affected by poverty since even these countries do have destitute people who live under deplorable conditions due to poverty. Royce’s survey (2009) also shows that its effects are mainly felt in the rural areas. Causes of poverty Poverty is caused by several factors in economy. One is overpopulation, in which very high number of people competes for few sources available. This is one of the reasons why a country like India ranks among countries where poverty rates are high. For instance, the population of India is said to be over a billion people. However, the available resources are not able to sustain this entire population thereby rendering others poor (Hobson and Boll, 2004). Corruption. Corruption has also been singled out as a major cause of poverty. This is because it leads to unequal distribution of national wealth. In addition, it leads to mismanagement of public funds which only goes to the hands of a few leaving many other citizens poor. Royce (2009) emphasizes that this has been witnessed in many countries, such as Nigeria which ranks top in terms of corruption. Unemployment. High rate of unemployment is also a leading cause of poverty across the world. Employment is one way of creating wealth in a country. This means that when there are no jobs, many people are likely to remain idle, meaning they cannot create wealth. Hobson and Boll (2004) write that the research has proved this in several countries across the globe where lack of employment has been the leading cause of poverty. Effects of poverty Crime. Poverty leads to several devastating social effects, such as crime, overpopulation, starvation, lack of proper education, poor housing, and diseases. It is argued that poverty is one of the leading causes of crime all over the world. This is because it drives people to steel or engage in criminal activities in order to get a means of surviving. For instance, a research conducted by The US Government accountability Office (GAO) in 2007 found out that residents of poverty stricken areas have few survival options in life; therefore, they resort to crime. It was found out that there were several instances of robbery and other criminal acts in slums and other areas where poverty rates were very high (Hobson and Boll). Lack of proper education. Research links illiteracy to poverty. In this regard, it is noted that many people across the globe mainly remain illiterate or achieve very low levels of education due to poverty. The reason is that they are not able to afford the school fees which is required to enable them continue with their education. Those who can afford little income argue that there is no reason for paying school fees when there is no food to fill the stomach. This is the reason why high levels of illiteracy in poor countries are compared to their developed counterparts. Poor health care. Poverty has also been found to be the leading cause of poor health care. For instance, research reveals that there is relatively low life expectancy for the poor than the rich. This is because those affected by poverty find it hard to access proper healthcare due to the lack of money. For instance, there exists a wide disparity of life expectancy in poor countries like Uganda and the US. It is also noted in Hobson and Boll (2004) that the majority of people suffering from diseases associated with poor living conditions, such as malaria and waterborne diseases among others, are apparently poor. Conclusion Poverty is indeed one of the major social problems in many countries across the globe. This is because it affects virtually every country. It is important that countries with these levels are reduced so that everybody can leave a comfortable life. To do this, it is important that everyone takes an initiative aimed at improving the standards of living. This can be achieved by avoiding things that triggers poverty, such as corruption, uncontrolled births and ensuring that the economy is expanded to create jobs for the jobless. Works Cited Hobson, John A., and Helene H. Boll. Problems of poverty. New York, NY: Kessinger, 2004. Print. Royce, Edward C. Poverty and power: the problem of structural inequality. Hoboken, NJ: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009. Print. Read More