He made a distinction of poverty and defined them in to two groups, primary and secondary poverty. His evidence was based on low-income families; he did not interview the non-poor, as they did not know poverty (Thomas K, 2007).
Those in primary poverty spent all their income on basic essential items, but still had to go without some necessities. For those who lived in secondary poverty they just had enough to pay for essential items but because of them buying what was seen as non essential items e.g. not buying the cheapest pair of shoes they lacked other necessary items. (Thomas K, 2007).
He believed that for people to live healthily and work efficiently that they needed to be able afford the cost of a basic diet, the cost of buying the minimum clothes of the minimum quality and the cost of rent. According to this measure, 33% of the population lived in poverty 1899. Therefore, the poverty line was drawn at a minimum weekly sum of money to cover these costs.
Peter Townsend, researched poverty in the UK in 1979 and he stated that poverty should be relation to standards of a particular time (Haralambos and Holborn 2004). He determined that poverty was classed as relative deprivation and in this definition, poverty means it is not fixed but that it does change over time in line with society’s expectations e.g. central heating (Thomas K, 2007).
Townsend argued that poverty involves an inability to participate in approved social activities, such as visiting friends, going on holiday and therefore individuals suffer deprivation if they cannot afford even the cheapest form of activity (Haralambos & Holborn 2004). By using the term relative poverty he calculated more than half the UK population are likely to experience poverty at some stage in their lives (Sociology,1993).
Poverty today.
The extent of poverty today is still evident today, as around 13 million people in the UK in 2005/06 were living below the national low-income threshold, this is around 22% of the population ().
To answer the question, “To what extent does poverty exist in society today”, it is necessary to look at the groups who are more vulnerable and susceptible to live in poverty.
The number of children living in income poverty was around 3.8 million, in 2005/06. This does present a drop of 0.6 since 1998/99, but this still means that on average 40% of children who are born are born poor. These children come from families with no parents in employment and 58% of these children come from lone parents not in employment (Thomas K, 2007).
The proportion of pensioners living in income poverty has fallen throughout the last decade from 29% in 1996/97 to 17% in 2005/06. A 3rd of pensioners entitled to pension credit are not claiming it. Pensioners account for a 6th of all the groups living in poverty. ().
Around two fifths of people who come from an ethnic minority back round live in income poverty. This is twice the rate for white people. Within this, there are variations between ethnic groups in that more than ½ the people who live in income poverty come from Bangladesh and Pakistan. A 3rd of working-age of Bangladeshi and Black African households is workless, as are a quarter of Pakistani and Black Caribbean households (Thomas K, 2007). The differences are particularly greater for families where at least, one adult is in paid work these figures show that 60% of Bangladeshi’s, 40% of Pakistanis and 30% of Black Africans are in income poverty, compared to the White British, White Other, Indians and Black Caribbean for which the percentage is 10 -15%. In contrast, the whole proportion of people from ethnic minorities who live in low-income households have declined by around a fifth over the last decade ().
People who live with a disability make up 30% of people who live in low-income households; they also earn less than a non-disabled person by around 28% (Thomas K, 2007). The adults who are disabled of working-age who are not in paid work is 60% compared to only 15% of their non-disabled counterparts. A 3rd of these people say that they want to work but that they have not been able to find a job. The poverty rate for disabled working age adults has, if anything increased over the last decade and the gap between disabled and non-disabled adults has grown ().
The majority of the poor in Britain are women, this counts for all the groups who are most vulnerable to experience poverty. Lone parents who are women make up the 95% that live on state benefits. Official figures show women are 14% more likely than men to live in households with incomes that are 60% lower the national average; this is the official measure of poverty defined by Equal Opportunities Commission ( 2007).
The figures have been measured by using the threshold of low income where a household income that is 60% or less of the average household income in that year, these have measured by the department of social security (Thomas k, 2007).
This latest data available is from 2005/06, in that year the 60% threshold was worth £108 per week for a single adult with no dependant children; couples with no dependant children would receive £186 per week. The single adult with two dependant children would receive £223 and a couple with two dependants would receive £301. These sums of money are measured after income tax, council tax and housing cost have deducted. This figure represents what the household has available to spend on everything else it needs such as, food, heating, travel and entertainment (Thomas k 2007).
Theories of poverty
Some people believe it is the individuals fault in stating that because you are poor you deserve to be poor. They use the term such as “lazy spongers” this was more popular around the 19th century and can still be found in society today i.e. in the press or within social confinements. The basic of the Individualistic theory is that the morality of the individual causes their poverty (Thomas, k 2007).
The theory “cultural” they blame the society in which they live, i.e. their beliefs, values, language and general pattern of behaviour. These people they can improve their situation and sometimes live only for today. The situational constraints argument suggests that the poor would readily change their behaviour to fit in with society if poverty was removed (Haralambos and Holborn 2004).
“Marxists” say that some people are in poverty because capitalist’s class do not desire their services; they look for explanations in the structure of society and the economic functions that poverty performs for capitalism. They do not blame the poor for poverty nor their culture (Thomas, k 2007).
Conclusion and Summary
Ideas about poverty are complex, and many definitions can be accepted as to why poverty exists in society today. There is often confusion over these definitions and this adds to complexity on how to tackle poverty (). Compared from 1899 the statistic for people living in poverty is 25% less than it is today. Our society has evolved dramatically and so has our knowledge about poverty but still the figure is dangerously high. Many people believe that only 3rd world countries suffer poverty, only to be shocked by today’s figures. Poverty can never be totally eradicated but considering we live in one of the richest countries in the world our resources should be better at addressing this huge problem, to at least working towards reducing poverty considerably.
Reference list
Geddes & Grosset dictionary (2005) 11th edition p185, published by Geddes & Grosset, New Lanark.
Giddens A (1993) Sociology, 2nd edition, p246, published by polity press in association with Blackwell Publishers, Oxford.
17/09/2003, Women who more likely to live in poverty, , [online: available 16/11/2007]
Haralambos and Holborn (2004) Sociology Themes and Perspectives, 5th edition p237 published by Harper Collins publishers Ltd, London.
Haralambos and Holborn (2004) Sociology Themes and Perspectives, 5th edition p237 published by Harper Collins publishers Ltd, London.
Haralambos and Holborn (2004) Sociology Themes and Perspectives, 5th edition, p241 published by Harper Collins publisher’s ltd, London.
Haralambos and Holborn (2004) Sociology Themes and Perspectives, 5th edition p267 published by Harper Collins publishers Ltd, London.
United Nations 1995, Haralambos and Holborn (2004) Sociology Themes and Perspectives, 5th edition, p238 published by Harper Collins publishers ltd, London.
Overview of key debates, [online: available 16/11/2007] http://www.povertyinformation.org/povertyinformation/
The poverty site, key facts [online: available 16/11/2007],
http://www.poverty.org.uk/summary/key%20facts.shtml.
Thomas K, class discussion October/November 2007, see notes in sociology file.
