8.5.3: Children of Poverty

 8.5.3: Children of Poverty 256 In Figure 8.15, you can see the high poverty rate of U.S. children. High childhood poverty holds true regardless of race–ethnicity, but from this figure you can see how much greater poverty is among Latino and African American children. That millions of U.S. children are reared in poverty is shocking when one considers the wealth of this country and our supposed concern for the well-being of children. This tragic aspect of poverty is the topic of the following Thinking Critically about Social Life. Thinking Critically about Social Life The Nation’s Shame: Children in Poverty One of the most startling statistics in sociology is shown in Figure 8.15. For Asian Americans, one of nine children is poor; for whites, one of six or seven; for Latinos, an astounding one of four; and for African Americans, an even higher total, with almost one of every three children living in poverty. These percentages translate into incredible numbers—approximately 13 million children. Why do so many U.S. children live in poverty? A major reason is the large number of births to women who are not married, about 1.6 million a year. This number has increased sharply, going from one of twenty in 1960 to eight of twenty today. With the total jumping eight times, single women now account for 40 percent of all U.S. births (Statistical Abstract 2019:Tables 91, 94). But do births to single women actually cause poverty? Consider the obvious: Children born to wealthy single women don’t live in poverty. Then consider this: In some countries, such as Sweden, single women are more likely to give birth than are single women in the United States, yet their rate of child poverty is lower than ours (OECD 2019). The reason for this is because their governments provide extensive support for rearing these children—from providing day care to health checkups. Why, then, can’t we point to the lack of government support for children as the cause of the poverty of children born to single women? Now look at Figure 8.16. You can see that the less education that single women have, the more likely they are to bear children. Since women with less education have less income, you can also see that the single women who can least afford children are those most likely to give birth. Their children face severe obstacles to building a satisfying life. They are more likely to go hungry, to be malnourished, to have health problems, even to die in infancy. They also are more likely to drop out of school, to become involved in crime, and to have children while still in their teens—perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Figure 8.16 How Does Education Influence Births to Single Women? Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019. Published annually. Table 94. Above the graph the text reads: Of women with this education who give birth, what percentages are single or married? The vertical axis represents the education levels among single women as listed below. The horizontal axis represents the percentages from 0 to 40%, in increments of 20%. The details are as follows: Among Unmarried women: High school dropout, 58%; High school graduate, 51%; Some college, or Associate’s degree, 41%; Bachelor’s degree, 12%; Graduate or professional degree: 5%. Among Married women: High school dropout, 42%; High school graduate, 49%; Some college, or Associate’s degree, 59%; Bachelor’s degree, 88%; Graduate or professional degree: 95%. For Your Consideration Here are two questions for you to grapple with. In answering these two questions, be specific and practical. → What programs would you suggest to help women attain more education? → What other ways would you suggest to reduce child poverty?