Essay On Poverty In America

439 Words2 Pages

People going through things like divorce, underpayment, and health issues face many challenges in more ways than one. Statistics show that well over ten percent of American’s are living in poverty each year. With that being said, these are some of my beliefs on how I think poverty has a serious impact on the United States. First and foremost, regarding things like divorce, unemployment, and health problems with US citizens I think it is fair to say that these are highly stressful situations. One of the main issues with things like this is that it can put a lot of stress on a person causing lifelong internal battles with oneself. As stated in the movie, “Waging a Life”, each year hundreds of thousands of married people are getting divorces. …show more content…

For a prime example, Jerry and Jean are both hard working people but do not get the pay they deserve. They both have different needs in order to live but due to lack of pay, they are living in poverty. With the minimum wage in 2006 being a lousy $5.15 an hour, Jean and Jerry were both struggling to make ends meet. Especially taking into consideration that Jean had the responsibility of feeding six people in her home including her own. Last but not least, health issues are a main factor in poverty. As I stated above, Jean had the responsibility of taking care of five other people in her house. One being her oldest daughter, who suffers from hepatitis c. Although it is not Jean herself who is ill, her daughter cannot work therefore Jean is the only person in the home providing for the family. Jean is a CNA and only made about $12 an hour at the time which made it really hard to make ends meet because of all the people she was taking care of at home. When in the state of being extremely poor, it can put a major damper on everyone's life. Whether it be because of divorce, underpayment or an illness. Poverty is a real thing caused by real problems that some may think are only minor issues people are facing. But, with the help of friends, family and most importantly the government, things can get better and problems can be