The Web of Poverty: Psychosocial Perspectives

by Trepper; Terry S

• ISBN13: 9780789002327
• ISBN10: 0789002329
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1998-07-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The most interdisciplinary, integrated text on poverty, The Web of Poverty: Psychosocial Perspectives gives you a full understanding of poverty and its consequences, equipping you to affect social change. This unique book examines the social and personal causes of poverty, focusing on the consequences of poverty at the neighborhood and school levels and on families, children, and youth. Ethnic and racial minorities are considered throughout the text, and a chapter is devoted to the interface of poverty, segregation, and discrimination.

Author Biography

Anne-Marie Ambert (PhD, Cornell) is professor of Sociology at York University, Toronto

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Origins of This Volume	p. 2
Volume Contents	p. 3
Intended Audiences	p. 4
Poverty in the United States and Canada	p. 7
Across the World	p. 7
Poverty in North America	p. 11
Canada and the United States	p. 11
The Extent of Poverty	p. 12
Other Aspects of Poverty	p. 13
The Gap Between Rich and Poor	p. 14
Mobility Out of and Back into Poverty	p. 16
The Reduction of Rural Poverty	p. 19
Conclusion	p. 20
Systemic Causes of Poverty	p. 23
Globalization of the Economy	p. 23
Evolving Structure of the Economy	p. 25
Relative Loss of Manufacturing Jobs	p. 25
Expansion of the Service Sector	p. 27
Increase in Part-Time Employment	p. 28
Increase in Low-Paying Jobs	p. 29
Increase in Two-Wage-Earner Families	p. 30
Higher Educational Requirements	p. 31
Job Relocation	p. 32
Emphasis on Financial Profit	p. 33
Unemployment	p. 34
National Debt	p. 36
Low Social Assistance Payments	p. 36
Low-Skilled Immigration	p. 38
Conclusion	p. 39
Personal Causes of Poverty	p. 41
Single Parenting	p. 42
Single Parenting and Poverty	p. 43
Divorced Single Parenting	p. 45
Never-Married Parenting	p. 46
Effects on Children	p. 48
Poverty in the Family of Origin	p. 50
School Dropout and Lack of Education	p. 51
Additional Factors: Delinquency and Ill Health	p. 53
Conclusion	p. 54
Urban Neighborhoods in Poverty	p. 57
The Canadian Exception	p. 58
The Development of High-Poverty Neighborhoods	p. 59
Depletion of Neighborhood Resources	p. 62
Poor Neighborhoods and Negative Socialization of Children	p. 64
Poor Neighborhoods as Risk Factors for Children	p. 67
Homelessness	p. 70
The Nonpoor in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods	p. 71
Conclusion	p. 72
Schools and Education in Poor Districts	p. 75
Schools in Impoverished Neighborhoods	p. 75
Quality of School Personnel and Disadvantaged Families	p. 78
Disadvantaged Students and Schools	p. 80
Family Routine and Organization	p. 81
Parental Resources and Involvement in Schooling	p. 82
Low-Income Minority Students	p. 85
Involuntary and Voluntary Minorities	p. 87
Conclusion	p. 90
Disadvantaged Families	p. 91
Family Size	p. 92
Adolescent Single Parenting	p. 93
The Situation	p. 93
Consequences for Offspring	p. 95
Types of Single Adolescent Mothers	p. 97
Single Fathers: The Real Problem?	p. 99
Family Conflict and Violence	p. 100
Marital Conflict and Spousal Abuse	p. 100
Child Abuse	p. 101
Child Neglect	p. 102
Abuse of Parents by Children	p. 103
Parenting Skills and Poverty	p. 104
Parental Dilemmas	p. 106
Conclusion	p. 107
Women, Children, and the Elderly	p. 109
Women	p. 109
Mothers in Poverty	p. 111
Their Burden	p. 111
The Matter of "Proper" Childrearing Practices	p. 112
Mothers as Victims	p. 114
Children	p. 115
The Extent of Child Poverty	p. 115
Consequences of Poverty for Children	p. 117
Negative Child Outcomes	p. 118
Homeless Children	p. 120
The Elderly	p. 122
Elderly Women	p. 124
Conclusion	p. 125
Visible Minorities, Discrimination, and Segregation	p. 127
Recent Roots of Inequalities	p. 128
Racial and Ethnic Inequalities and Poverty	p. 131
Segregation	p. 133
Work Discrimination	p. 135
Health Differentials	p. 138
Reduced Life Expectancy	p. 140
Conclusion	p. 141
Health and Illness Differentials	p. 143
Health and Socioeconomic Status	p. 143
Life Expectancy	p. 145
The Differentials	p. 145
Myths About Life Expectancy	p. 147
Explanation for Differentials	p. 149
Illness-Related Problems	p. 150
Psychiatric Problems	p. 152
Cognitive Problems	p. 154
Is More Medical Care the Solution?	p. 156
Conclusion	p. 158
Poverty and Delinquency	p. 159
Aspects of Delinquency	p. 159
Personal Pathways to Delinquency	p. 160
Causes of Delinquency	p. 162
Poverty and Delinquency	p. 164
Poverty and Social Control	p. 164
Poverty and Segregated Minorities	p. 166
Poverty and Dysfunctional Opportunity Structure	p. 169
Poverty and the Media	p. 171
Conclusion	p. 173
Poverty Undermines Genetic Potential	p. 175
Genetics and Child Outcomes	p. 176
Outline of Behavior Genetics Principles	p. 176
Genotype-Environment Correlations	p. 178
Genetically Influenced Chains of Events	p. 180
Environmentally Influenced Chains of Events	p. 181
Environmental Rather Than Personal Deficits	p. 182
Poverty Creates Inferiority	p. 186
The Absurdity of African-American Inferiority	p. 187
Conclusion	p. 189
Conclusions, Implications, and Critiques	p. 191
A Subculture of Poverty?	p. 193
Ethnic Cultures and Subcultures of Poverty	p. 194
A New Meritocracy	p. 196
Social Pathologies	p. 198
A Subculture of Wealth: The "Overclass"	p. 200
Reducing the Concentration of Neighborhood Poverty	p. 201
The Global Perspective	p. 204
Glossary	p. 207
Reference Notes	p. 213
Bibliography	p. 227
Author Index	p. 281
Subject Index	p. 293
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