Bethan Burley!
Prof. Sutton !
SOCI 2300!
13/03/2020!
A Social Problem Analysis: Poverty. !
Poverty is defined not as a deprivation of resources alone but to an uneven distribution of the
resources available. People are poor relative to some standard, and that standard is partially
shaped by the lifestyle choices of other citizens. Whether directly affected by it or not, poverty is
visible everywhere. There are trends and similarities in wealth and poverty all across the world. !
Highland Park, Dallas boasts breathtaking mansions with the average income being $192,000.
Less than 8 miles away, we see individuals of Dixon surviving with an average income of $20,000.
Similarly, Sandbanks, United Kingdom is a seaside haven requiring a basic income of £200,000
($250,000) to live there, whilst Boscombe, less than 2 miles away is populated by individuals living
on £22,000 ($27,000) per year.
There are may theories as to what causes poverty. For a functionalist, poverty is a result of a
society that have broken down in some way for example that there are insufficient job
opportunities leading to relatively high unemployment. Those who take a conflict approach argue
that stratification is dysfunctional and harmful to society but persists as it benefits the rich, upper
classes. Thirdly, the Interactionist approach suggests that poor individuals perpetuate their own
poverty by participating in a “culture of poverty”. An example of this would be choosing friends
and partners who are of they same economic standard so they suffer by association. It is
important to note that these theories are not the direct cause of poverty. !
Boscombe is a seaside town located on the South Coast of the United Kingdom. In the 1970’s
and 80’s, the UK saw a decline in the traditional English holiday market that resulted in a huge
decline in Boscombe’s economy. As a result, many small guest houses and large family houses
became homes of multiple occupation. More vulnerable people only incomes were attracted into
