Poverty PPT.pptx
Poverty
SWK112
Sociology & social Policy
Megan Holmes
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Poverty
SWK112
Sociology & social Policy
Megan Holmes
Introductions
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Learning Outcomes
By the end of this class, students will be able to:
Define poverty and explain the impact of this on society and individual lives;
Identify and explain key sociological and social policy concepts in relation to poverty;
Explain the connection between poverty, social exclusion and oppression;
Recognise the significance of poverty in the social work profession.
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Quick recap- Sociology and Social Policy
Sociology- Soci (society) ology (science/ study of)- study of society- social life, social change, human behaviour;
Social Policy- societal responses to social problems.
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Presentation Title
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Quick recap
Why is this important for social work?
Social workers work in complex situations which require them to have an understanding of the inter-relationships between the behaviour of the individual and social context (sociology) along with the key principles and concepts of social systems and welfare provision (social policy).
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Quick recap- importance for social work
Jones (2002) suggests that,
“Throughout its history it could be argued that social work has remained a class specific activity, as poverty, social exclusion and inequality are key factors that face the majority of users of social work.”
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Therefore, it is key that we explore and work to understand these core issues in order to best support the people we will work with.
(Jones, 2002 cited in Llewellyn et al, 2015, p.30)
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Quick recap- SDGs
This module is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
4. Quality Education
5. Gender / Equality
8. Decent Work & Growth
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities & Communities
16. Peace
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Quick recap- SDGs
These goals originate from the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals
These goals are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.)
They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth…worldwide.
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Poverty- ‘The wallpaper of practice…’ Harry Venning
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“Too big to tackle, too familiar to notice.” (Morris et al, 2018)
Poverty- The Wallpaper of Practice
Poverty blindness is understandable in the current context of social work practice.
Social workers are torn between cuts in services and tighter eligibility, and increasing hardship and social exclusion.
Social workers can feel powerless to effect meaningful change.
Dave Backwith (2015)
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“Lots of people just don’t know what poverty means, what it’s like or what it’s all about. They just don’t know.” - Hazel(DoH, 2018:6)
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So what do you know?
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Group Work 5 minute task
In allocated groups…
Draw Poverty
What image(s) come into your head when you think of ‘poverty’
Choose 1 person to present your drawing to the wider group
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Feedback
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Group Work 5 minute task
In allocated groups…
Define Poverty
Try to put into words the meaning of poverty
Choose 1 person to read your definition to the wider group.
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Feedback
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Age UK Definition of Poverty:“When a person’s resources are not enough to meet their basic needs and allow them to take part in society. This could mean struggling to cover food and energy bills, watching every penny spent, worrying that nothing is set aside for a sudden emergency such as the cooker breaking down, or being unable to afford the cost of transport needed to visit a friend or go to a social club.” (Age UK, 2014 cited in DoH, 2018:7)
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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
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Context is key…
Poverty is a recurring theme and experience in Ireland / Northern Ireland’s past and present.
1600s ‘Poor laws’ (how poverty was originally and then subsequently viewed);
Famine (no potatoes, no food, no income, no rent, no home, weakened immunity, death);
Wars (soldier / citizen welfare became an issue) Beveridge Report (1942) identified ‘5 giant evils’ following the war- Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness;
‘The Troubles’ - Civil conflict in NI, impact on physical/ mental health, housing, employment, education…;
Benefits system and increased numbers dependant on;
Welfare reform, austerity.
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Poor Law
In Victorian Britain, the poor could only receive assistance if they moved into the workhouse.
Human rights were curtailed along with insufficient food and clothing.
Poverty was attributed to being lazy and work-shy, and a harsh regime deemed necessary to reform the individual and act as a deterrent to others.
Those who ran the workhouses often violated the principles they espoused for the poor, growing fat and lazy on the funds that the workhouses produced. In reality, workhouse conditions were very little better than the conditions in which the poor found themselves anyway and it was, to paraphrase Dickens, a ‘choice’ between starving slowly in the workhouse or quickly outside of it.
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Deserving and Undeserving Poor
Deserving
Undeserving
The feckless and work-shy, a burden on their communities and undeserving of any but the harshest of treatment from good hardworking people and the instruments of the state.
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Those who through no fault of their own-disability, age, sickness- could not provide for themselves.
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Discussion point: Does this attitude remain today?
Welfare Reform
Changes being made to the social security (benefits) system.
These reforms have been ongoing since 2010 when the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government identified welfare spending as one of the main areas in which to make savings and reduce the deficit.
These have included a freeze on child benefit, an end to paying child benefit to higher earners, the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ as well as many other changes. NICVA (2021)
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Presentation Title
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Understanding Poverty: Sociological perspective
Sociology can help explain what we mean by poverty, measure it’s extent and analyse how it’s defined and measured.
We must recognise the different concepts of poverty, how we define poverty may impact on perceptions, measurement, identification, causes, attitudes and solutions.
Our value base will impact how we perceive and accept poverty.
Poverty is related to systems of social division and stratification (Llewellyn et al, 2015)
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Social Stratification
Society is divided and differentiated.
Hierarchical system of ranking based upon superiority and inferiority.
Hierarchy incorporates power, inequality and difference. This is where oppression and division form.
Social divisions- differences between groups and diversity within populations- this is not always negative and a diverse society can be a valued part of society.
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Williams (1996, cited in Llewellyn et al, 2015) defined divisions as the ‘translation of the expression of a shared experience into a form of domination.’
Social Class- ‘I know my place’
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Social Class and Functionalism
Social stratification is both functional and necessary for smooth running of society;
Not everyone has an equal place in society, but all parts necessary- think surgeon and cleaner;
Position achieved by individual effort and ability as opposed to gender, class, privilege or family connections (Levine, 2006)- Meritocracy;
Think education systems- children from a higher social class are more likely to achieve academically than those from less advantaged classes (Perry and Francis, 2010)…ongoing impact on employment etc.
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Social Class and Functionalism
Meritocracy
Young (1962) suggests that meritocracy incorporates ideals of social efficiency, social mobility and social justice, which don’t necessarily lead to equality of opportunity as differences in levels of ability and achievement are intended to keep people in their place.
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Case Study: Class Discussion
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Social Class and Marxism (Conflict Theory)
Concept of power is central to Marxist perspective.
Power is unevenly distributed in society- it may come from an individual’s position within social hierarchy.
Gramsci’s (1971) ‘ideological hegemony’- dominance of one set of beliefs over another.
Rich get richer, poor get poorer.
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Social Class and Marxism (Conflict Theory)
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Absolute Poverty Vs Relative Poverty
Absolute Poverty
Relative Poverty
When households receive 50% less than average household incomes, so they do have some money but still not enough money to afford anything above the basics. This type of poverty is, on the other hand, changeable depending on the economic growth of the country.
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When household income is below a certain level, which makes it impossible for the person or family to meet basic needs of life including food, shelter, safe drinking water, education, healthcare, etc.
In this state of poverty, even if the country is growing economically it has no effect on people living below the poverty line.
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Habitat for Humanity (2021)
Relative Poverty
Relative poverty is sometimes described as “relative deprivation” because the people falling under this category are not living in total poverty, but they are not enjoying the same standard of life as everyone else in the country. It can be TV, internet, clean clothes, a safe home (a healthy environment, free from abuse or neglect), or even education.
Relative poverty can also be permanent, meaning that certain families have absolutely no chance of enjoying the same standards of living as other people in the same society currently have access to. They are basically “trapped” in a low relative income box.
When the relative approach is used to measure poverty, there is another concept that needs to be explored – persistent poverty. This is when households receive 50 or 60% less income than average incomes every 2 out of 3 years. Since long term poverty has more impactful consequences on economic and social conditions, persistent poverty is an important concept to bear in mind.
Habitat for Humanity (2021)
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Poverty and Social Exclusion
“People are seen to be poor if they are excluded from normal living standards.” (Llewellyn et al, 2018)
Poverty is about being excluded from normal living standards.
Therefore, poverty is about social exclusion. Exclusion from:
Internet to access jobs or public services
The proper clothes to find that job
Paying for education
Access to decent housing (respiratory diseases is one of the most common symptoms of poor housing)
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Habitat for Humanity (2021)
Where there is exclusion there is…
Stigma;
Shame;
Oppression.
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https://proceduresonline.com/trixcms/media/5978/psw-theory-of-the-month-4.pdf
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https://proceduresonline.com/trixcms/media/5978/psw-theory-of-the-month-4.pdf
Poverty- rarely experienced in isolation
Poverty is inevitably intertwined with other social issues including:
Debt;
Gender: more often women experience lower pay, status, etc;
Minority groups: often over-represented in low pay; unfavourable working conditions, unemployment…;
Low educational attainment: for children; minority groups, etc;
Poor health;
No home.
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“The soil in which we’re rooted: The branches on which we grow.”
The Pair of ACEs Tree is planted in soil that is steeped in systemic inequities and dysfunction, robbing it of nutrients necessary to support a thriving community.
Adverse Community Experiences, such as lack of opportunity, limited economic mobility, fear of discrimination, and the associated effects of poverty and joblessness contribute to – and compound – the adversities experienced by individuals and families.
Ellis and Dietz (2017)
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The Poverty Cycle
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Poverty in Northern Ireland
370,000 people in Northern Ireland live in poverty.
Poverty among pensioners has fallen considerably over the last decade. Families with children have seen steady or falling poverty rates, but working-age adults without children are now at higher risk of poverty than ten years ago.
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Northern Ireland has higher worklessness and lower employment than elsewhere, and the proportion of people in poverty in workless households has increased slightly over time, in contrast with the UK as a whole.
This suggests that the employment rate continues to be a major factor affecting poverty rates in Northern Ireland, and that raising the employment rate could lead to falls in poverty. Barnard (2018)
Poverty in Northern Ireland
The gap in educational attainment among richer and poorer children has narrowed slightly but remains very large.
There are more people with no qualifications and fewer people with higher-level qualifications in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the UK.
One in ten households in the poorest fifth in Northern Ireland faces problem debt.
Nearly two-thirds of people in the poorest fifth are not paying into a pension, increasing their risk of future poverty.
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Barnard (2018)
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic;
The unemployment claimant count for Northern Ireland as of June 2021 stands at 65,200- double the figure for February 2020, the month before the coronavirus crisis.
During the 1st week after lockdown, the Trussell Trust said it experienced its busiest ever period, issuing 50,000 food parcels in the space of a week, almost double its usual volume.
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The Trussell Trust shows that all four nations of the UK have seen significant increases in the need for food bank support this April when compared to April 2019, with Northern Ireland seeing an 142% increase in the number of all people fed, and an 128% increase in the number of children fed. This is compared to 89% and 107% respectively for the UK as a whole. (BPS, 2020)
Community Resilience
Community resilience has an important part to play in protecting local areas from the worst impacts of economic adversity and experience of poverty.
There are many examples of community programmes across Northern Ireland that have achieved positive outcomes for disadvantaged communities. E.g. Storehouse Belfast which has prioritised-
Provision – Providing good quality essentials to all in need;
Community – Creating opportunities for anyone to step out of isolation into a positive, supportive community; and,
Growth – Encouraging individuals to develop a healthy view of self and overcome hurdles to flourishing. Small amounts of investment can make a big difference to communities.
BPS (2020)
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Poverty and social work training- historically
In the twentieth century, the Charity Organisation Society, responsible for social work training, was criticised for blaming the poor for poverty and various other social issues (a common response during that time).
As time went by, attempts were made to introduce a broader social-policy based curriculum to acknowledge the wider structural causes of disadvantage and more critical awareness of economic and social ills.
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Poverty and social work training today
However, as insecurity, poverty and exclusion have continued to grow in today’s society, the individual, behavioural and pathological interpretations for economic and social problems have re-emerged. Just think of attitudes around welfare reform.
As social work students we must be attuned to these attitudes, beliefs, values and also be aware of our own.
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Poverty and social work training today
Poverty, its causes and consequences, should be a core component of undergraduate social work teaching. Students should be taught to consider poverty as structural inequality which requires anti-oppressive practice. Students should be introduced to this practice framework to support them in their learning and practice.
DoH (2018, p.33)
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References
Backwith, D. (2015) Social Work, Poverty and Social Exclusion. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Barnard, H. (2018). Poverty in Northern Ireland 2018. Available: https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/poverty-northern-ireland-2018. Last accessed 5th October 2021.
BPS. (2021) From poverty to flourishing – Bringing psychology into action on poverty. Available: https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Policy/Policy%20-%20Files/From%20poverty%20to%20flourishing%20-%20Northern%20Ireland.pdf Last accessed 7th October 2021.
Cunningham, J. and Cunningham, S. (2017) Social Policy and Social Work. 2nd Ed. Exeter: Learning Matters.
Department of Health. (2018). Anti Poverty Practice Framework for Social Work in Northern Ireland. Available: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/Povertyframework.pdf. Last accessed 5th October 2021.
Ellis, W.R. and Dietz W. H. (2017). A New Framework for Addressing Adverse Childhood and Community Experiences: The Building Community Resilience Model. Academic Paediatrics. 17 (7), p86-93.
Gramsci, A. (1971) Selections from the Prison Notebooks. London: New Left Books.
Habitat for Humanity. (2021) Relative vs Absolute Poverty: Defining different types of poverty. Available: https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/blog/2018/09/relative-absolute-poverty/ Last accessed 7th October 2021.
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References
Levine, R. (2006) Social Class and Stratification: Classic Statements and Theoretical Debates. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Llewellyn, A, Agu, L. and Mercer, D. (2015) Sociology for Social Workers. 2nd Ed. Cambridge: Policy Press.
Morris, K, Mason, W, Bywaters, P, Featherstone, B, Daniel, B, Brady, G, Bunting, L, Hooper, J, Mirza, N, Scourfield, J & Webb, C 2018, 'Social work, poverty, and child welfare interventions', Child and Family Social Work, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 364-372. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12423
NICVA. (2021) Welfare Reform Explained. Available: https://www.nicva.org/article/welfare-reform-explained. Last accessed 5th October 2021.
Perry, E. and Francis, B. (2010) The Social Class Gap for Educational Attainment: A Review of the Literature. Available: https://www.thersa.org/reports/the-social-class-gap-for-educational-achievement-a-review-of-the-literature. Last accessed 5th October 2021.
Young, M. (1962) The Rise of Meritocracy. Hammondsworth: Penguin.
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