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Sociological Explanations for Poverty
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I. Here’s a paper outlining some of the ways that sociologists look at the topic of poverty. Think about the Sociological Imagination and looking at biography and history as a way to understand peoples’ current situation.
Then think about how Mills talked about perspective-taking and seeing the big picture! Often, our personal troubles are actually public issues in disguise, caused by forces larger than ourselves. Many of you keenly identified the COVID-19 global pandemic as a public issue, something that started out as a personal trouble because people thought it was “their problem, not mine…” This ‘personal trouble’ evolved into a public issue, something that has similarly happened with sickness and disease in many other historical cases.
Hopefully, this reading will help you better understand how structural and institutional forces play a role in shaping all our experiences.
You can find the paper here: sociology of poverty-1.pdf. Download sociology of poverty-1.pdf.
2. The following table will show you the federal guidelines for poverty. This means, that in order for someone to be considered ‘poor’ by the government, according to their household size, they must make less income annually – shown in the chart – to be considered ‘poor.’
Being counted matters, because if I am a single person and make $1 more than $12,760 at the end of 2020, then I am not considered poor, which translates to: I don’t qualify for potential benefits. I make too much money.
Take a look here: https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelinesLinks to an external site.
Based on the article you read and the look at the poverty table, consider the following questions:
1. What are some of the causes of poverty from a sociological perspective?
2. What is the difference between absolute vs. relative poverty? Give one example that would break it down for someone who hasn’t taken sociology before.
3. What are you thoughts on the poverty thresholds for 2023? How might situations like the current pandemic affect peoples’ experiences with poverty?
