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Working poor

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Animal & Human Rights

   Working poor is a term used to describe individuals and families who
   maintain regular employment but remain in relative poverty due to low
   levels of pay and dependent expenses. Often, those defined as "working
   poor" have negative net worth and lack the ability to escape personal
   and economic contingencies. In some situations there are people who
   choose to reject material benefits or prefer a lifestyle that does not
   require income at or above the poverty line. From a research
   perspective, individuals that reject or do not require income levels
   from personal choice may or may not be included in such studies.

   The working poor are often distinguished from paupers, poor who are
   supported by government aid or charity.

The extent and causes of "working poor" conditions

   There are various issues to consider when studying the extent, cause
   and definition of "working poor" and "working poor" conditions. One
   such issue is the definition of poverty. Given on a global scale, the
   definition and requisites to be considered impoverished or in poverty
   may sharply contrast the conditions of any one specific country. When
   viewed at a high level, the global definitions of poverty are typically
   much lower than that of more prosperous countries. In areas such as the
   United States, England, France and other more prosperous nations, the
   poverty line is much higher than that of countries with typically lower
   or even negative economic conditions. When considering localized
   differences, such as in the United States, differences in market rates
   of goods and services may impact the effects of poverty.

   Yet another consideration to be made with a global view is data
   collection and reporting methods. With no globally accepted standards
   on data recording and reporting, variances may be obscured, omit or
   inflate specific factors considered in determining poverty levels or
   measures of the working poor.

   The causes of working poor conditions are debated issues. Many cited
   causes and solutions are based around economic, social and political
   differences. Please refer to the Wikipedia article on poverty for cited
   causes of poverty.

   With the causes and extent of working poor conditions varying to some
   degree, much of the debate, criticism and discussion is taken at the
   national, or smaller geographic, level.

The "working poor" In the United States

   The nature and extent of the working poor in the United States is a
   contested subject; while both sides of the political spectrum
   acknowledge that there are non-negligible numbers of working people
   living near or below the poverty line, there is disagreement as to
   whether or not this reflects a genuine flaw with current economic
   policy, and what the response should be.

   In the United States, according to the government Bureau of Labor
   Statistics, there were 6.4 million working poor in 2000 ; by 2003 the
   number had grown to 7.4 million . In 2004, Business Week suggested that
   a more accurate figure would be 28 million, counting those at least
   eighteen, employed, and making less than $9.04 an hour, a full-time
   salary of $18,800 per year and the federal poverty line for a family of
   four.

   The question of the working poor, how many there are and the reasons
   for their situation, remains controversial. For example, the Business
   Week magazine article cited above, which was generally critical of the
   political response to the problem of the working poor, itself received
   criticism from Townhall.com columnist Thomas Sowell, who claimed that
   the magazine had, among other sins, inflated statistics.

   Sowell claimed that "census data show that most people who are working
   are not poor and most people who are poor are not working", and that
   workers who were part-time or under the age of 25 should not be counted
   as working poor . Citing the author Horatio Alger, Sowell suggested
   that the intelligentsia had dismissed words such as moxie and gumption,
   and that the working poor themselves, and not larger socioeconomic
   factors such as the lack of labor unions and the changing nature of
   employment, as suggested by Business Week, were to blame for the
   situation.

Possible Problems faced by the working poor

   Workers without marketable skills may face low wages, potential
   economic exploitation, unpleasant working conditions, and few
   opportunities to attain skills that would allow them to escape their
   personal and economic situations. In some cases, members of the working
   poor work at multiple part-time jobs, which require nearly full-time
   commitment but are classified as "part time". In this situation some
   benefits, like medical insurance, are not paid by employers . This
   situation is sometimes referred to as precarious employment.

   A common expression of working poor conditions states that individuals
   often live from "paycheck to paycheck". Unexpected costs (such as
   medical or repair costs) can further decrease economic ability.

Policy responses

   Many governments have initiated programs intended to assist those who
   may be considered impoverished or working poor.

   Measures that have been taken by governments:
     * Lowering taxes
     * Ending governmental regulation of business and trade
     * Job training programs
     * Educational scholarships and grants
     * Small business loans
     * Food stamps or vouchers
     * Subsidized housing
     * Subsidized meal planning for mothers and children
     * Subsidized healthcare coverage
     * Living wage

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_poor"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
