Factors Contributing to Poverty Essay -- Essays on Poverty

Factors Contributing to Poverty There are many factors that aid the prevalence of poverty. Firstly, it is difficult to assess these causes because the word ‘poverty’ can be very subjective and difficult to define. In attempting to define what poverty is, one would suggest having a lack of income and resources not consistent with the requirements of the poverty line. Three factors that play major roles as causes of poverty would be having a lack of education, systemic discrimination, and inequities based on a capitalist system. This paper will look at ways in which these causes can be combated and at the same time evaluated in regards to it’s positive and negative aspects. Education has long been a problem in society, because the lack of this essential tool of survival doesn’t allow for growth of any sort. It is a known fact that the risk of poverty usually decreases as people get more schooling. Poor education can be either a cause of poverty or an effect. Young people who drop out of school may be poor because they lack the required skills needed to get good jobs, therefore adding to a system that forces them to only be able to live in low-income, economically starving areas. Moreover, education is a basic requirement in order to climb a hierarchy of income in our society, so uneducated people are forced to become content with their surroundings. Systemic discrimination can be said to be a form of institutional injustice that depends on this quiet oppression in order to maintain a history of past dominance. There are many types of barriers that are not openly blatant and are in place so that minorities don’t get the opportunity to overcome these obstacles. As a result, many minorities including women cannot overcome ranks in the workforce and are left with the lower paying jobs. Furthermore, legislation in the Canadian government helps provide a structure for these proceedings, for example laws that were passed as a result of affirmative action programs might be said to be unjust and unconstitutional. Canada operates under a capitalist system so it should really be no wonder as to why poverty really exists in this country. It is necessary to have poverty in order to support capitalism. Failure in our system would result in poverty and therefore this sadly, becomes an incentive to become exceedingly wealthy and rich... ...es. Poverty is a term that can be viewed from many different aspects when attempting to define this opinionated word. This is a major problem in Canada, and it is evident everytime you travel down-town and actually see poverty within just feet of the premier’s office. Even though the actual word may be difficult to define, there are endless causes of it. It doesn’t make sense that we condemn other forms of government that are base on equality and fair opportunity when our own system is based on ‘survival of the fittest’. In essence, it is really based on survival of who can control the most amount of resources first and maintain it. Regardless of our ineptitude to define this word, we do know that lack of education, systemic discrimination, and inequities based on a capitalist system will cause it. I personally believe that absolute poverty can never be solved regardless of what system one might live in. It is because of our form of government that politicians are afraid to implement policies that might not be fully developed when it’s time to call another election. We should battle poverty regardless of how it may effect the deficit in the short-term.