Functionalist Theories Of Poverty In The United States

Many people in the united states suffer from poverty. Being in poverty means that people don't have the basic needs to survive. They lack in food, shelter, and clothes. In america around 13 percent of people are in poverty. Poverty is mostly caused in those who don't have resources such as education, poor health and are discriminated. Minority groups such as hispanics and African americans have a higher rate of poverty than white americans. Functionalism is one of the best ways to analyze poverty. According to Durkheim the functionalist theory means that everything we have in society and everyone in it has a purpose, to keep stability and equilibrium on the social structure.

Not everyone in society is equal in wealth. Some people have

In america schools depend on parents to send their kids to school. Jobs depend on institutions to create people with the abilities to work in their environments. The system relies on each other to create social order. When a person does not follow those rules they are sanctioned. In a functionalist perspective everyone and everything in society is important to maintain an equilibrium. If stratification in america is inevitable then poverty is inevitable as well. Social order is maintained by those people who have the most power. Stratification benefits people who are rich more than those who are poor. For example people who own companies make millions of dollars. They have workers who only make minimum wage. The owners are getting wealthier and employees are in poverty or working poor class. Social order changes when a majority of people don't like something and get together and

One of the reasons is because they are more likely to do jobs that don't make much income. A reason for that is some lack in education and sometimes discrimination is a factor as well. Gender has also an important role in poverty. It is hard for a “unskilled or semiskilled,poorly educated women to raise children by themselves while also having a job that can raise them out of poverty.” (Giddens et) One problem that single parents have is that in order for them to work they need to pay a babysitter. If they don't work welfare can help them but won't get them out of poverty. The only way they can get out if she begins to do side jobs without the government knowing. Kids often suffer from poverty as well if they have a single parent. There are also elderly people who suffer from poverty as well. They depend on social security and other programs but it still not enough to get them out of