The Poverty Line
The poverty line, also known as the poverty threshold, is the minimum income required to reach everyone's standard of living. To measure poverty lines, the Department of Agriculture (DOA) must first estimate the annual cost of food based on the bare minimum of data, then multiply that number by three. It would ensure that it covers the bare minimum of clothing, lodging, healthcare, and other essentials.
Controversies Surrounding the Poverty Line
Some argue that the poverty line is too high. They contend, for example, that most people are not as disadvantaged as they seem. The reason most people are said to be poor is that the poverty line does not account for the importance of non-cash benefits such as foodstuff, medical services (primarily Medicare and Medicaid), public housing subsidies, and unreported income.
Other people claim that the poverty line is too low because it doesn’t include childcare and job transportation costs or the cost-of-living expenses, particularly housing, that vary considerably across states, regions, and urban-rural areas are considered a reason as to why the poverty line is said to be at that level. According to DeNavas-Walt and Proctor, “whites and Asian American are less likely to be poor than other racial-ethnic groups.” Little education is considered as one of the main risk factors that cause peoples poverty levels. An example is that most educated people live above the poverty lines while the biggest percentage of the less educated live below the poverty lines.
Explanations for Extreme Poverty
There are two of the most common explanations for the cause of extreme poorness, one blames the poor themselves, and the other emphasizes societal factors. About 60 percent of Americans believe that people can be successful if they’re more industrious than they are. Such attitudes reflect a still influential culture of poverty perspective, which contends that people are poor because they’re personally “deficient” or “inadequate.”
