The Connection of Race and Ethnicity to Poverty (Essay Sample)

Race and Ethnicity: Poverty
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Race and Ethnicity: Poverty
Poverty is generally lacking the essential means to live. Poverty can also be defined as living below the accepted minimum standards. For a person to be considered poor, they must be living in a state of utter deprivation in that they can barely sustain themselves. The concept of poverty can also be defined in relative or absolute terms. Absolute poverty refers to individuals who lack the most basic requirements of life (House, 2013). For example, they cannot provide their families or themselves with food, housing, clothing, or medical needs. Also, poverty is relatively different when comparing advanced countries and the deprivation of resources present in developing countries. In highly developed western countries, poverty is generally conceived in relative terms. It means some individuals or families have lower incomes and limited access to specific lifestyle patterns compared to other affluent families. Relative poverty does not mean that a family lacks in the provision of necessities. It is defined as lacking or insufficient resources to enjoy the high life and other luxuries such as vacations, vehicles, mansions, and the like. Poverty has two defining elements: financial disadvantage and inequality of opportunities (House, 2013). A financial disadvantage is associated with being economically handicapped; that is, one has little to no monetary assets, while inequality is the lack of opportunities for the poor people to escape this vicious cycle of poverty.