Poverty’s Grip: The Struggle of Rising Household Costs
Poverty’s Uphill Battle: The Strain of Rising Costs and Stagnant Incomes
Being able to climb out of poverty can be a rough task for most households due to various circumstances that may be out of their control. Having adequate income to manage an adequate lifestyle for an average family requires dual incomes. The dual incomes may require childcare or some form of support for the children while the adults are at work. In addition, there are basic survival needs that need to be met in order to maintain a basic standard of living. These basic matters barely scratch the surface when it comes to the fight to stay out of poverty.
The cost of living keeps increasing while the incomes of the head of household are not increasing. This can make the attainment of the basic needs a challenge. This challenge can mean the difference between having enough food to feed the family and the payment of a household bill. This monthly, if not daily, dilemma can generate another set of issues for this household. Not having the means to provide for the family can be heartbreaking, and the will to fight can become harder. The desire to increase income may be halted by the lack of education, the lack of experience, or the inability to travel too far. Income is a major component in the management of a household and is key in making sure matters are properly maintained.
Poverty and Parenting: Navigating Childcare and the Creative Resilience of Low-Income Households
Having both adults in the workforce requires the children to be taken care of and properly looked after. This may require additional expenses for childcare, which has been increasing. For those who may have family members to watch the children, their children would benefit from being in an educational environment in order to better service the needs of the child. The assistance that is offered for childcare can be troublesome as well because the funds are not available, and there is a large waiting list. For children that may be older and not daycare age, they need to have resources to go to in order to properly spend their time after school until their parents get off work. This can be another concern, on top of the financial burden, in which the parent must make a means in order to provide the basic necessities with the limited resources they have available.
Low-income households have had to come up with creative ways to manage their lifestyle. In most eyes, it is considered poverty, but for most, it is the way of life until something better comes along. Being able to maintain has been the way of life for the majority of households.
References
- Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Harvard University Press.
- Sen, A. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford University Press.
- Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. Metropolitan Books.
- Duncan, G.J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.). (1997). Consequences of growing up poor. Russell Sage Foundation.