POVERTY
In broad terms, poverty is a synonym for deprivation and covers all or most aspects of hardships. It implies lack of material and cultural goods which constraint the normal development of individuals. Therefore, to be poor is to be incapable of calling for one’s own resources to meet family or own biological needs. Poverty means to live in a permanent state of isolation and insecurity, to live in inadequate housing and to work in poor and inhuman conditions.
In general, poverty is one of the common identifying features of developing economies and is exhibited in the form of low income, high infant mortality rates, poor housing, low life expectancy and so forth.
OVERVIEW
1.2 billion people around the globe live in “extreme poverty”. They subsist on less than one dollar per day. Seventy percent of the poor work and live in rural areas. Progress to date to reduce poverty has been well below the levels required to reduce it significantly. The consumption and production ratios have been very skewed. A very small percentage of the world consumes the majority of goods produced and resources available. The inequalities are devastating. With the escalating rates of unemployment, especially for youth, the impact s made on political, economical and social stability cannot be ignored. In most countries, especially sub-Saharan Africa, the AIDS pandemic has completely altered the shape of the population pyramid. Swarms of young people are suddenly faced with a situation where they need to directly address domestic issues and needs through creating livelihoods for their families. The job market is saturated, and in a lot of cases, shrinking, such that even those with necessary skills and qualifications cannot be formally employed
TYPES OF POVERTY
They are basically four types of poverty. These include; Absolute poverty, Relative poverty, Institutional poverty and Subjective poverty.
ABSOLUTE POVERTY
This is a situation where a population or a section of a population is only able to meet its bare subsistence essentials of food, shelter and clothing in order to maintain a minimum level of living. In other words, it refers to the minimum levels of consumption that are necessary for human survival and it focuses on the economic dimensions of living such as access to basic needs of life. It is very common in developing countries, especially in rural areas.
RELATIVE POVERTY
This implies lagging behind other income groups or individuals in terms of access to existing opportunities or facilities that enhance the quality of human development or quality of life, such as education and health .It focuses on the issue of social stratification and the concept of class comes in. furthermore, it is the inability to have access to goods that are considered customary in a given society. This type of poverty is common in developed countries and urban areas of developing nations.
INSTITUTIONAL POVERTY
This is the new type of poverty induced mostly on third world counties by developed nations where the developed nations introduce technologically advanced lifestyles and a new consumer oriented ideology, which cannot be part of the communal society. It is acquiring tests, wants and needs which one has no financial capabilities to afford or manage
SUBJECTIVE POVERTY
This refers to one’s perception of about his/her poverty status. This is irrespective of access to basic needs or customary needs in a given society. It focuses on one’s own personal analysis his/her poverty status irrespective of locational factors, social groups or gender considerations.
POVERTY DATUM LINE
This is the real income per head or expenditure which is used to determine the proportion of people whose incomes falls below a certain minimum level necessary for human survival.
POVERTY GAP
This is the sum of the difference between the poverty datum line and income level below that line
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF POVERTY
-A high level of per capita income is no guarantee of low poverty levels. Therefore, there’s need to have an adequate knowledge of the economic characteristics of poverty in order to formulate effective management policies. To attack poverty it is vital to have detailed knowledge of its location, extent and characteristics.
-Poverty affects a disproportionate number of women. In practically every country, more women than men have the lowest level of income. In addition, there’s an increasing incidence of poverty in female-headed households representing 17-28% of the total world households. Furthermore, the dual role of women in these households puts an n additional heavy burden on them. Poverty of female-headed households is related to their economic status. They are basically three reasons why women are more affected by poverty than men. These are:
a) Women are in general terms less educated than men
b) Women have less employment opportunities than men.
c) Women have less access to capital, land and technology which affects efficiency in production
-Most poor people are located in rural areas and are primarily engaged agriculture and associated activities.
-Two–thirds of the absolute poor scratch a living from subsistence agriculture as small-scale farmers or as lowly paid labourers. The remaining one –third are located in urban areas as informal traders.
EXTENT OF POVERTY
About 40% of the population in developing countries live I absolute poverty. Areas in of poverty concentration include: sub-Sahara Africa, south Asia and parts of Latin America where three quarters of the population live in poverty and two third of the worlds population reside. In my own country of origin, Zambia, 80% of the population are poor or live in poverty. The remaining 20% of the population is the one that considered to be living above the poverty datum line.
Although poverty exists in developed countries, it is less in total numbers and percentages
