Identifying Poverty

Poverty is defined as,

1.) the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor; indigence.

2.) deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities, etc.

3.) scantiness; insufficiency.

Regardless of where one lives in this world, they are never too far separated from people living in situations of poverty. A great deal is made about this by people in very prominent positions, but the question remains - what can truly be done to assist those currently living in situations of impoverishment? And how can we prevent any more from meeting such a fate?

The first question one must ask when approaching such a task is how is poverty defined? The current accepted definition within the European Union is a person being below 60% of the median net disposable income - the median being the midpoint of the range of incomes. Under this definition, no fewer than thirteen million people in the United Kingdom alone are living in poverty. That works out to one-in-four people, including one-in-three children.

For those skeptical of the numbers thus far here are a few more - it is thought that over 10.5 million people live in financial insecurity in Britain, unable to save, or to insure their homes adequately. In addition to that, a 2000 survey by revealed that 6.5 million adults have to go without essential items of clothing, such as warm coats, simply because they do not have the money to buy them.

Across the ocean in the United States, one of the main indicators of the volume of population living in poverty is that of food stamps. Since the beginning of the fiscal year (October 2007), it is estimated that some twenty-eight million people in the US are using government-issued food stamps to purchase essentials such as groceries - the highest level since the Food Stamp Act of 1964.

Add into that the widening income differentials faced by third-world countries, where some live on means of less than £1 a day - and new questions are raised. Whose situation is more pressing - that of an impoverished man who lives on the streets of London, or someone who does without in the plains of Africa?

A primary issue that accompanies any discussion of poverty is the unjust accusations and assignments of blame made by those who examine these statistics. There are direct links to employment - especially quality of employment, and poverty.

Perhaps employers ought to take a share of the blame and some responsibility for the poverty? Tackling inequality and low pay, making work more accessible and resisting the temptation to increase the volume of insecure, vulnerable work – these are some of the interventions employers can use to make a difference.

For those living above the poverty line, which more than likely includes most who are reading this column - you can make a difference, as well. Whether through monetary donations, volunteer work or simply taking note of which politicians are more active in the areas of poverty. If nothing else, you will help prevent more of the population from slipping into poverty than already have - perhaps including yourself.

For more information, view the 2007 Human Development Report [PDF] and Millenium Development Goals Report [PDF], both issued by the United Nations Development Programme - as well as the World Bank's criteria for identifying urban poverty.