Theories of Poverty

The Culture of poverty  Oscar Lewis developed theory  Believes that living in poverty creates its own culture  This culture is learned and shared among the social group

Social Segregation  Poor are a separate part of society that don’t use things like banks, hospitals, museums etc.  Keep themselves separate from the rest of society  Why would this happen?

Lewis argues that once established, the culture of poverty…  Passes from generation to generation because of its effects on children  By 6 or 7, children have absorbed the values and attitudes of their culture  Makes people feel like they aren’t capable of “fixing” their own situations

Criticism??? If we accept this theory:  We accept that personal choices won’t make a difference  They start to believe that they are “victims”  CYCLE of Poverty is produced in which each generation finds it difficult to escape  They start to feel “entitled” to be looked after by society instead of taking personal responsibility for trying to make their situation better

Culture of Classism  Based on something called “Deficit Theory”  Defines people by their weaknesses  Poor people are poor because of their own moral and intellectual deficiencies

Culture of Classism  Clings to stereotypes of the poor and working class  They are unintelligent, inarticulate, and overly emotional  They don’t try to help themselves

Criticism??? If we accept this theory:  We accept all the stereotypes about people who are experiencing poverty  We are ignoring any systemic conditions that might be contributing to poverty  i.e. Access to higher education  We probably won’t support real antipoverty programs

What Class Would We Put These People in? And Why? 1.I was in a private school before my folks broke up. They had money when they were together. He left us and now my mom has a job and gets some help from my grandparents to help raise my family. 2.I was living on the street; I made a lot of money selling drugs before I got picked up. I’m in a group home now, but I know what I’m going to do to make it when I get out of here. I don’t talk about it at school.

3.My parents inherited some money and I have a trust fund for college. We don’t take big vacations or have a lot of cars or anything, but we are doing okay. 4.When we were in grade school, my little sister and I qualified for free lunches; but a lot of times I took a pass because of some of the jokes that people made. What Class Would We Put These People in? And Why?

TEST QUESTION: Answer the following question in TWO full paragraphs.  Both the Culture of Poverty Theory and the Cultural of Classism Theory have been criticized for a variety of reasons. In your first paragraph, explain what each of these theories says about poverty and the people who live in poverty. In your second paragraph, identify WHICH of these theories you think is the most HARMFUL to our understanding of poverty and to the elimination of poverty in society? Use at least 2 pieces of evidence from material we studied in class to support your answer.