 Defined ◦ See page 161, L&L Chapter 6  Absolute vs. Relative Poverty  Evaluate levels in terms of the standard of living ◦ Standard of living, defined

Persons in familyPoverty guideline 1$10, , , , , , , ,010

Cost of living differences Doesn’t hit the “Dream Line” Assumes constant social mobility

 Based on a “nutritionally inadequate food plan”  The Trouble with the “Official” Definition: ◦ It “excludes many people who define themselves, and whom most of you would define, as poor” (L&L 2010:162)  Intersects with other social problems and institutions

 U.S. has the rate in the developed world  More in poverty, though have a higher poverty rate  1 of every 5 children live in poverty (2006)  “there is also a core of people who remain in poverty, an underclass that experiences chronic hunger and malnutrition, unemployment, and substandard housing” (Lauer and Lauer xxxx:164) ◦ The Working Poor

 Higher rate of infant mortality  More likely to  More likely to be  More likely to  Lower levels of social trust  Less likely to participate in civic life  A “small” problem (to us) might be a major life impediment to the poor

 The more money we have, the happier we are ◦ Only to a certain point…  Perceived happiness  What does it mean to be poor?

 Myth 1 – “Welfare people are lazy…”  Myth 2 – “Welfare makes life easy…”  Myth 3 – “People become addicted to welfare…”

 Autonomy  Equal opportunity  Security  Change  Power(lessness)

 Political decision making and the distribution of political and economic power ◦

 Political decision making and the distribution of political and economic power  Game is “rigged” toward middle and upper classes. ◦  3 ways the economy hurts the poor

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 Poverty and Families ◦ Families in poverty tend to:  ◦ Class differences in family life 

 Poverty and Education ◦ Children in poverty 

 Disparagement and Discrimination ◦ The self-fulfilling prophecy  Value of “individualism” as a value

 Race defined  Ethnic group defined ◦ Tables on p. 228, 236 of readings  The social construction of race ◦

 Voter disenfranchisement  “Life chances”  Institutional racism ◦ Racial threat hypothesis ◦ 3 ways institutional racism is in the economy  Prejudice defined  Common fallacies ◦