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Poverty 245

THINKING CRITICALLY

The Nation’s Shame: Children in Poverty

ne of the most startling statistics in sociology is shown in Figure 8.7 on page 242.
Look at the rate of childhood poverty: For Asian Americans, one of seven chil-
Odren is poor; for whites, one of five or six; for Latinos, an astounding one of
three; and for African Americans, an even higher total, with two of every five children
living in poverty. These percentages translate into incredible numbers—approximately
16 million children.
Why do so many U.S. children live in poverty? A major reason is the large number
of births to women who are not married, about 1.7 million a year. This number has
increased sharply, going from one out of twenty in 1960 to eight out of twenty today.
With the total jumping eight times, single women now account for 41 percent of all
U.S. births (Statistical Abstract 2013:Table 89).
But do births to single women actually cause poverty? Consider the obvious: Chil-
dren born to wealthy single women don’t live in poverty. Then consider this: In some
industrialized countries, the birth rate of single women is higher than ours; yet our rate
of child poverty is higher than theirs (Garfinkel et al. 2010).
Their poverty rate is lower because their governments pro-
vide extensive support for rearing these children—from FIGURE 8.10 Births to Single Mothers
providing day care to health checkups. As the cause of the
poverty of children born to single women, then, why can’t Of women with this education who give birth,
we point to the lack of government support for children? what percentages are single and married?
Apart from the matter of government policy, births to 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
single women follow patterns that have a negative impact on Not a high school
their children’s welfare. The less education a single woman graduate
has, the more likely she is to bear children. As you can see High school graduate
from Figure 8.10, births to single women drop with each Some college,
gain in education. As you know, people with lower educa- no degree
tion earn less, so this means that the single women who Associate’s degree
can least afford children are those most likely to give birth. Bachelor’s degree
Their children are likely to face the obstacles to building a
Graduate or
satisfying life that poverty brings. They are more likely to die professional degree
in infancy, to go hungry, to be malnourished, and to have
health problems. They also are more likely to drop out of Unmarried Married
school, to become involved in crime, and to have children Note: Based on a national sample of all U.S. births in the preceding 12 months.
while still in their teens—thus perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Source: Dye 2005.

For Your Consideration
With education so important for obtaining jobs that pay well, in light of Figure 8.10,
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what programs would you suggest for helping women attain more education? What
policies would you suggest for reducing child poverty? Be specific and practical. ■

The Dynamics of Poverty versus the Culture of Poverty culture of poverty the assump-
tion that the values and behaviors
Some have suggested that the poor get trapped in a culture of poverty (Lewis 1966; of the poor make them fundamen-
Cohen 2010). They assume that the values and behaviors of the poor “make them fun- tally different from other people,
damentally different from other Americans, and that these factors are largely responsible that these factors are largely
for their continued long-term poverty” (Ruggles 1989:7). Lurking behind this concept responsible for their poverty, and
is the idea that the poor are lazy people who bring poverty on themselves. Certainly, that parents perpetuate poverty
some individuals and families do match this stereotype—many of us have known them. across generations by pass-
But is a self-perpetuating culture—one that poor people transmit across generations and ing these characteristics to their
that locks them in poverty—the basic reason for U.S. poverty? children