Poverty

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(Redirected from Low-income)

Poverty is a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials for a minimum standard of living. Poverty means that the income level from employment is so low that basic human needs can't be met. Poverty can be understood simply as a lack of money, or more broadly in terms of barriers to everyday life.

Causes of Poverty[edit | edit source]

The causes of poverty may vary with respect to nation, region, and in comparison with other countries at the global level. Yet, there is a commonality, and that is: issues of poverty are often overlaid with issues of unemployment and the societal issues they both cause.

Economic Causes[edit | edit source]

The economic causes of poverty include:

  • Lack of income because of unemployment;
  • Low level of national income;
  • Inequitable distribution of wealth and income.

Social Causes[edit | edit source]

The social causes of poverty include:

  • Lack of education;
  • Situation of the family;
  • Overpopulation;
  • Epidemic diseases such as AIDS and malaria.

Effects of Poverty[edit | edit source]

The effects of poverty can be mainly categorized into:

  • Illiteracy: Poverty makes people unable to get proper education because of the lack of money.
  • Malnutrition and starvation: Poverty causes insufficient availability of diet and inadequate nutrition which brings lots of lethal diseases and deficiency diseases.
  • Child labor: In poverty, children are forced to work at a young age.

Measures to Reduce Poverty[edit | edit source]

The broad measures that should be taken to reduce or eradicate poverty include:

  • Provision of more employment;
  • Reduction of population growth;
  • Universal education;
  • Women empowerment;
  • Corruption free society.

See Also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]


Poverty Resources
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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD