CHILD POVERTY and factors that affect it

What is child poverty? Child poverty: is a significant lack of the basic needs required for healthy physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual development. is also defined as a lack of opportunities a lack of control over one’s life, as social isolation and as biased treatment at the hands of others.

Facts Many people mistakenly assume that child poverty is a challenge only people in developing countries are facing. This is sadly untrue. In Canada, the situation of child poverty has gone from bad to worse. Canada is one of the richest countries in the world. However, about 1,400,000 of its children live in poverty (almost one and a half million). Children of single parents and those of aboriginal descent have suffered the most.

Children of full-time working parents make up almost 30% of poor children in Canada Today, nearly half the world’s 6 billion people lives on less than $2 a day. poverty is a reality affecting both rich and poor countries. In developed countries it is estimated that 1 in 10 children live below the poverty line.

Does income affect the rate of child poverty?

Hypothesis I predict that income affects the rate of child poverty Therefore, the greater the income the lower the rate of child poverty

Average income of the Canadian Provinces

Measures of central tendency Mean: $46, Median: $45, Measures of spread Standard deviation: Minimum value : 40,942 Maximum value: 57,277 Variance:

BOX AND WHISKER PLOT Q1Q3  more families have incomes that are above the median  less families are making less than the median or average income

Measures of spread Q1: Q3: Interquartile range: Q3-Q1 = = Semi-interquartile range: /2 =

Child poverty rates

Measures of Central Tendency Mean: this shows the average percent of children living in poverty among the provinces Median: 19.8 this is the middle child poverty rate Standard deviation:

There is a high average income in Ontario The lowest income is in Newfoundland the lowest child poverty rate is in British Columbia The highest rate is in Manitoba According to my thesis, if income affected the rates of child poverty, then the province with the highest income, would have the lowest rate For example Ontario has the highest average income, and therefore would have the lowest poverty rate

Conclusions My hypothesis was NOT correct Child poverty rates are NOT affected by income

Just to make sure… Lets take a look at another year

Child poverty rates

Observations Ontario has the highest income out of the provinces Prince Edward Island has the lowest Newfoundland has the highest child poverty rate Prince Edward Island has the lowest According to my hypothesis, the province with the highest income would have the lowest child poverty rate For example, Prince Edward Island has the lowest income and therefore they would have the highest child poverty rate

Conclusion The income is NOT a factor of child poverty This trend was evident in both years One can extrapolate and assume that the trend will continue in the future

Does the poverty rate vary amongst family type?

Hypothesis The rate of child poverty is greater in lone parent families than in all families

Female Lone Parents vs. All families

Measures of central tendency Lone parent families Mean: Median: 62.9 Range: 5.1 Measures of spread Minimum: 59.5 (1994) Maximum: 65 (1996) Standard deviation:

Measures of central tendency All families mean: Median:19.5 Range: 3.5 Measures of spread Minimum:17.8 (1990) Maximum: 21.3 (1993) Standard deviation: 1.331

R 2 value

Conclusion My hypothesis WAS correct The rate of child poverty is GREATER in lone parent families

Factors causing this… Lone parent families only have one income While other families have two incomes This would cause the poverty rate to be higher in lone parent families The number of children per family The more children, the less money per child

Are unemployment rate and the child poverty rate related?

Hypothesis I predict that there is a correlation between the unemployment rate and the rate of child poverty If this is true, then as the unemployment rate decreases, so will the rate of child poverty

Unemployment vs. Child poverty rates

Measures of central tenancy for unemployment rate Mean: Median: 9.5 Mode: there is no mode Standard deviation:

Unemployment rate Box and whisker plot During this time, there are more years with an average unemployment greater that the median There are less years that are below the median of 9.5

Measures of spread Q1: 8.7 Q3: 10.8 Interquartile range: Q3-Q1 =2.1 Semi-interquartile range: 2.1/2 = 1.05

Measures if central tendency Child poverty ( ) Mean:18.1 Median:18.1 Mode: there is not one Standard deviation:

Child poverty Box and whisker plot Both of the portions are almost equal there are slightly more years where child poverty rates are above the median Less years the child poverty rates are below the median

Measures of spread Q1:17.3 Q3:20.3 Interquartile range: Q3-Q1 = = 3 Semi-interquartile range:3/2 =1.5

R 2 VALUE

Conclusion My hypothesis WAS correct The rate of child poverty and unemployment are related

For example… When the rate of child poverty was high, so was the unemployment rate (ie. 1993) When child poverty was low, so was the unemployment rate (ie 1990)

All in all… There are many different factors that affect the rate of child poverty The average income of a family has no evident correlation with the rate of child poverty Family type affects the rate of child poverty  Child poverty is higher in lone parent families The unemployment rate and the rate of child poverty are related

Resources E stat (statistics Canada) ucated/childpoverty.html

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