35% White
12% Hispanic
2% Native American
1% Asian
Reasons for Homelessness
Unemployment and/or eviction
Reductions in federal support for
affordable housing
Eroding work opportunities
Inadequate housing for low-income
people
Reasons for Homelessness
Reductions in public assistance
Inadequate health care
Domestic violence
Addiction
Poverty Status by Family
Type and Race
Explanations of Poverty
Culture of poverty - poverty is a way of
life that is transferred from generation to
generation.
Structural causes of poverty - poverty is
caused by economic and social
transformations taking place in the U.S.
Arguments Against
The Culture of Poverty
Fewer than 5% of the poor are chronically
poor.
41% of the able-bodied poor work.
The pattern of welfare cycling is
promoted by wages too low to support a
family.
Quick Quiz
1. Karl Marx defined classes in terms of
their relationship to:
a. capitalism
b. life chances
c. the infrastructure of society
d. the means of production
Answer: d
Karl Marx defined classes in terms of their
relationship to the means of production.
2. The monetary value of everything one
actually owns is defined as one's:
a. income
b. cumulative income
c. wealth
d. net worth
Answer: c
The monetary value of everything one
actually owns is defined as one's wealth.
3. Which of the following statements is false
regarding social class?
a. Class is a structural phenomenon.
b. Class can be directly observed.
c. Class influences access to societal
resources.
d. Class influences how one is served
by social institutions.
Answer: b
The statement, class can be directly
observed, is false regarding social class.
4. According to the functionalist
perspective, differentiation is essential
for a cohesive society.
a. True
b. False
Answer: True
According to the functionalist perspective,
differentiation is essential for a cohesive
society.