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Poverty

Poverty and being poor are distinct concepts, with poverty denoting an inability to meet basic needs, while being poor refers to having an income below expenses. Key causes of poverty include lack of education, conflicts, climate change, and social injustices such as racism and gender inequality. Poverty is a pervasive global issue that leads to severe consequences like hunger, lack of education, and restricted opportunities, perpetuating social injustice.

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Xin Yinn Ng
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19 views2 pages

Poverty

Poverty and being poor are distinct concepts, with poverty denoting an inability to meet basic needs, while being poor refers to having an income below expenses. Key causes of poverty include lack of education, conflicts, climate change, and social injustices such as racism and gender inequality. Poverty is a pervasive global issue that leads to severe consequences like hunger, lack of education, and restricted opportunities, perpetuating social injustice.

Uploaded by

Xin Yinn Ng
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Poor vs Poverty?

Most people tend to confuse ‘poverty’ and ‘being poor’; while these two might be similar, they
are in fact, different connotations. Living in poverty refers to the state or condition in which a
person is completely unable to provide or cover all basic costs for necessities or does not have
the ability to financially support a basic standard of living, while being poor refers specifically to
the circumstance in which a person receives an income lower than their expenses or lacking of
financial means.

What causes poverty?

A study conducted in 2017 by UNESCO and GEMR revealed that the global poverty rate could
potentially be halved if all adults graduated secondary school. This highlights the importance of
education worldwide, but people who are already in poverty have little to no opportunity to
complete their studies. Another factor contributing to global poverty is conflicts and wars, as
poverty fuels conflicts, which in turn fuels poverty, like an endless vicious cycle. Climate change
and environmental disasters also play a role in causing poverty in communities. They annihilate
infrastructure, destroy crops and the agricultural industry, and remain one of the most persistent
sources of poverty. Another research shows that there is a link established between poverty and
social injustice such as racism, gender inequality. People of colour that live in regions with
higher racial discrimination tend to face a higher risk of poverty, and the poverty gap in these
areas are much more significant.

Why is poverty such a massive problem?

Poverty exists in streets, cities, districts, states, regions, and nations all over the world. This
problem is everywhere, and yet, no country has ever achieved a hundred-percent poverty-free
state. The reason why poverty is such a significant issue is due to the monstrous impact on the
lower classes, including but not limited to: hunger, lack of education, the inability to cover basic
necessities, lack of healthcare, restricted access to funds, and limited job offers and opportunities.
By allowing people to live in poverty, major organizations are also turning a blind eye to
discrimination and inequality, allowing social injustice to thrive in society.

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