Poverty and inequality
Poverty was described as a social evil because of its debilitating effects on people’s lives. This was reflected in the testimonies of the unheard groups, where poverty was described as a trap – a constraining force that prevents people from achieving their aspirations.
…if you’re poor, you’re struggling all the time - you have no choices in life. That’s what poverty does to you, it gives you no choice.
Participants suggested that poverty was closely intertwined with other social evils. For example, they described how, in a deprived community, making money from drug dealing can seem an appealing option to young people, reflecting the notion that poverty is “the keystone to other social problems“.
There was widespread concern about inequality - the polarisation of society into ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. Web respondents felt that growing inequality in Britain is socially divisive and morally wrong, partly because income differences do not always reflect people’s efforts. Participants in the unheard groups added a different perspective. They recognised that people doing well would welcome growing affluence, but noted that there was a whole swathe of people not benefiting.
While some participants expressed a sense of disillusionment and hopelessness, others talked about personal responsibility for getting ahead in life.
Some comments from the consultation
“Even though on average the UK has become more affluent, there is a poor distribution of wealth. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer!”
“Inequality…This is one of the root causes of the increase in crime and in dissatisfaction in modern society. I believe that a more equal society would make everyone happier, both rich and poor.”
on April 20th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I think the very rich should be actively encouraged to set up charitable foundations to help those who are poor- maybe by giving them tax incentives if necessary.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.We should reinforce the idea that charitable donations are a moral responsiblity and the very rich should be shamed into giving. Poor people give a greater percentage of their meagre resources than do the rich. Perhaps we need a modern day Robin Hood!
on April 20th, 2008 at 11:09 am
The growing enequality is storing up a time bomb for our society,the word fairness has been lost by the people who run our country, once we could rely on a Labour government to support and help out the most vulnerable of our society, that is no longer true, Labour is now more interested in big business, it has forgotten the working class man or woman who struggles everyday to survive.
Labour actually wants a certain amount of people to remain in poverty because it gives them power, people in poverty lack the one thing that people who are financially secure have? yes, thats right, the word is choice, choice gives people freedom, sadly in our society today we have a class of people who are living like modern day slaves, the poor have no choice, we have to take what we are given and supposedly be grateful for whatever crumbs we are handed out.
In Great Britain today we have people who have to make the choice between eating and keeping warm,how can a government be so complacent as to allow some of our most vulnerable people to suffer like this? we have the forth richest economy in the world yet we have malnutrition in our community and what is worse patients are being discharged from hospital suffering from malnutrition, you may find that hard to believe but the facts speak for themselves, half a million elderly people in great britain suffer with malnutrition, labour should be really proud of itself.
One of the largest group of people who are suffering in this country is the group called CARERS, some people dispute the figures, but the figure of six million plus people care for a sick or disabled relative, the number will increase.
How does the government treat these people? they treat us as unimportant and invisible, they give with one hand and take away with another, many carers work fulltime caring for their loved ones, seventy, eighty, ninety hours per week, all they get in return is a slave allowance of less than fifty pounds per week, work that out for yourselves at an hourly rate>
OK, many of you will say that we choose to be carers, most of us choose to do this because there is no safe alternative, putting our loved ones into a carehome is for most people a no no, the treatment given out to elderly residents is sometimes dewscribed as torture, the amount of deaths caused by neglect and abuse in carehomes is unforgivable, carehome residents who live in private carehomes are not even protected by the same rules as council run carehomes, the Human rights act does not cover residents in private carehomes, who deecided upon that i wonder?
People who give up their lives to care for a sick or disabled or elderly relative should not be penalised by society, they should be praised not just by empty words but by financial support, carers should not have to worry about paying their bills, all carers ask for is a allowance that does not mean they will suffer, the amount of money that carers save this country is around eighty seven billion pounds per year, without carers doing what they do this country and the NHS would collapse, it is time to give back what has been taken from carers, if this government or any future government does not take care of the most vulnerable of our society, one day we will have no alternative but to take to the streets to fight for what is right, the poll tax riots will look like a little lite entertainment compared to what will happen, the poor are getting fed up,getting rid of the 10p tax rate shows that this government is so out of touch with the people, they just shut their eyes to peoples suffering, instead of worying about what is happening abroad, politicians need to worry about what is happening on their own doorstep.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 20th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
With a large proportion of poor people now living in a working household, one solution would be to end poverty pay. The main policy lever is the minimum wage would should be increased to a living wage. I agree that the main issue is inequality, with many jobs undervalued (particularly those traditionally done by women) and some very significantly overvalued. There needs to be a “maximum wage” as well as a minimum if disparity is to get less.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 20th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
there, are many but time-facter.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 20th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Great idea Ceridwen. I agree.
Though tax breaks for a modern day Robin Hood may not get past Gordon Brown, even in his current indecision…
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 20th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Let’s take two scenarios:
1: You have a child who is from either a rich or very affluent family. The parents of such children want the best for their children and this is understandable and commendable. Obviously, being in a position where your parents have well paid, full time occupations means you can go to a good school, have a well furnished home and remain in post 16 education with a view to going to university.
2: The working class child whose parents are unskilled, have limited education qualifications and are working poor. In scenario number 2 such children’s chances are going to be seriously limited because of financial circumstances, parental education and access to opportunities. Such children do not necessarily receive support from the state in the event that the parents cannot support their children.
Now let’s go back to 1988 when the then Conservative Government stated in the 1988 Education Act that all young people between the ages of 16-19 had a right to free education. This was contradicted by the 1988 Social Security Act which stated that a young person was obligated to attend a training scheme and that failure to do so would render such a person as “placing him/herself in severe hardship”.
In scenario 1 no middle class/rich parent is going to say to their child “you must attend a training scheme”. The children of such parents are asset rich, have cultural capital and therefore their children CHOOSE their career path thus enabling wealth and education to be passed on regardless of inate academic ability.
In scenario number 2 the working class child is in no position to dictate his/her career options due to the poverty of the parents. Moreover, in a so called democratic society, a Tory government dictates what the poorest members of society can and cannot do. You are in no position to decide whether you will go on a training scheme or go to university as you parental circumstances dictate your options.
Britain is a democratic society so long as you have got the money, the power and influence to buy access to that which should be a right for all members of society.
I do not advocate taxing the rich to the hilt or any other group for that matter. What is needed here is for the continued operation of the free market. But for government to ensure that that there is government provision to ameliorate the worst affects of the free market/market failure etc. A free market economy with a friendly face.
Inequality will continue while there is a continued gulf between the life chances of the richest and poorest.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 20th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Not going to put forward a solution (education) but would say that poverty and inequality are the root cause of the other social evils… seems simple because it is.
Can not just look at this issue domestically as in this day and age of globalisation any instances of poverty or inequality will make themselves heard…
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 21st, 2008 at 8:55 am
It’s not poverty which is the main issue but inequality. There are many much poorer countries with much greater social cohesion. The correlation between the relative incomes of the rich and the poor and a range of social ills is well recognised even in the most capitalist of countries(e.g. “Life in the Bottom 80 Percent” New York Times, 1/9/2005).
But missing from the JRF discussion is the role of the politics of choice. Choice has become a worldwide mantra of politicians- in the UK of all parties. And yet there is a clear causal link between the extent to which choice is provided and the effects and subsequent increase in social inequality. Those with more resources- monetary, social and knowledge- will always benefit more from choice. The simple equation is: “the more choice- the more inequality”.
I don’t have an answer to this- people are as wedded to choice as they are to their cars - but maybe in both cases, for the sake of society, we have to find ways of reducing the use of both.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 21st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Accepting poor people as fellow human beings would be a good start. Some newspapers, as we well know, demonise the poor in a quite disgraceful way.
We need also to recognise that changes in the way things are done - changes which reflect technological innovations - have removed some jobs which the poor and unskilled could do. To take a trite example, the job of sweeping the roads now requires the ability to drive a vehicle and operate its quite complex machinery. It would make no sense to go back to a non-technological approach to work, but there is surely a need to give deep thought to some of the employment consequences.
On a completely different tack, we should as a society put greater value on ‘unfashionable’ jobs. There is no good reason, for example, why a social worker should be paid much less than a banker.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 22nd, 2008 at 8:43 am
We all need to be more open about the need to challenge poverty, particularly politicians in power at Westminster. We need to recreate the culture which says that greed is a bad thing and drives people and communities apart.We do need to increase the tax take form the rich and Non-Doms etc. It is shocking that inheritance tax is not applied to land that is passed between then generations - there is no justification for that continuing in the 21st century. A living wage and maximum incomes are worth pursuing. Don’t worry about the rich who will threaten to leave, as they will if and when it suits them - why should we worry about the ‘needs’ of the greedy rich?
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 23rd, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Unequal reward needs adressing. Many jobs are physycaly or mentaly demanding often both some are dangerous tedious or unpleasant yet pay poor wages. We all at sometime need clean pleasant public toilets yet begrudge paying for them and look down on those who clean them. The shakers and movers could not acomplish anything without the craftsmen artisans and laboures who do the actual graft. Fund managers recieve huge bonusus wether they are successfull or not yet miners risking thier lives underground are often villified for asking for decent wages.The workers have only thier time and skills to bring to the market they should be able to obtain a just wage. Retailers often offer two articles for the cost of one this indicates they are over priced in the first place. A good carear path today would to negotiate a contract in a responsible post make a hash of it then demand a large pay off when you are sacked. There is far too much disparity in rewards between the top and bottom of society.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 25th, 2008 at 11:05 am
I work in a call centre for £16.500 pa. I work hard to achieve my targets and do my job as well as I can. My pay rise this year was £300. After tax - £200, my rent went up £3.00 and lets not go anywhere near the C. Tax, petrol increases and food price rises! Roughly speaking, I’m going backwards. My boss is a really nice chap and certainly deserves to be very rich - he had a good idea, took risks to start up and worked hard to build a successful company. I’m not complaining about that - just the inequality of it all. His kids go on sailing hols round the Caribbean. Mine dont even get to go to Butlins. £300 increase should be £3,000.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 25th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Education is now way out of poverty. If one has no qualifications then the government will give support and training. What do graduates who cannot get jobs do? They cannot support because there is no support including the employment service. Only the people from the best backgrounds will get graduate jobs and have wondefrul careers. What do the rest do? agency work. The government has increaed the number of places but not the number of vacnacies. Some will take a long time to settle down or not at all. It is worse outside London, for a non-white person and a disabled graduate. Only 20%-25% of graduates with asperger syndrome are in full time work. What percentage of the total are having wonderful careers? 5%-10%. It is okay for you are frome a rich family or a family with contacts. Tuition fees will make the situation worse.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 27th, 2008 at 10:59 am
I fully agree with everything made in the previous comments. The situation could be easily remedied if the pension’s were restored to what they were before the Conservatives took power, before then we could expect a reasonable pension on retirement and there was not the same need for people disabled or retired to have to rely on Government hand-outs to survive. New Labour refused to re-instate the pension and so we are in the mess today. Prices of essentials continues to rise day after day, but the benefits don’t rise enough to cover these increases. The result is that those on low incomes or for that matter those disabled and unable to work and those who have to care for others find themselves struggling every day to cope, the elderly are also badly effected. Do they heat themselves or do they eat!?. The restoraton of the pensions would have meant some independence and dignity. Those in the positions which I have described would be able to pay for their bus fares, heating, food and care without needing to try to live on benefits. They would have more dignity and what they would be paying would go to help our country. Although some of the rises are caused by global circumstances they are not totally responsible. A lot is caused by greed, big business wants more and more of the cake, they are not content, you just have to look at the supermarkets, trains, planes and banks etc; also the Government with the abolition of the 10d tax has done nothing to help, they are not interested in those on low incomes or the most vulnerable of society, their only concern is that they are able to keep getting financed by those with the money. As an earlier correspondent has pointed out it suits the Government to keep it that way. They don’t want people to be able to pay their way for that would make them independent, and that is something they don’t want as they would lose control so they will continue to hold people down!. They talk of giving people choice but these are empty words. I am going to issue this warning to them, and this includes any party in power. If you continue on the present road you are storing up trouble for yourself. Things cannot keep going on as they are now, there will be a backlash someday, when I have no idea, it will depend on when the people consider that they have had enough. The British people take a lot of punishment before they are arroused unlike the French who can be very volitile as we have seen in the past.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 29th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Further to my previous comment globilisation and venture capital firms must take a lot of blame for not valuing their staff.I remember when a national high street retailer started producing their goods abroad a group of skilled femail machinists in tears with their p45’s in their hands outside a clothing factory. That retailer has been hoverering on the verge of bankruptcy a few times since and I’ve lost count of the Chief Executives they have sacked all with big payoffs. Do these people not considder the effct on a community when a major employer closes a factory. The Balance of payments account with China is well in the red what will happen when they call in their debts.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 6th, 2008 at 10:44 am
JOSEPH ROWNTREE – ERIC BERNE
Joseph Rowntree called upon us all to seek out the fundamental causes of weakness and evil in society.
Eric Berne gave us a succinct view of self-and-others; the tool required to achieve the above aim.
I would assert that (whether evil comes from social incompetence or – if such is your view - from letting the Devil in) its root cause IS weakness; the weakness of the individual.
In Berne’s terms, weakness amounts to an under-developed Adult ego state* in the psyche; a condition I see as pertaining all over the planet. The two terrible truths of society, are: (1) individual weakness is increasing, and (2) the overcompensating-weak, rise to positions of power. Consequently, any corrective effort must reach out directly to the very young as the Powers That Be are, instinctively, fearful of general empowerment.
I have synthesised an approach. It can be found www.barriesingleton.co.uk as outlined in 1995 to Rowntree. Click on “Visionary Stuff”.
Only wisdom empowers; cleverness is inclined to enslave. Development of a strong Adult ego state engenders wisdom and is vital to individual, family, group, state and world stability. Adult strength is the ultimate answer to every weakness and evil.
* Transactional Analysis http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/ta.htm
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 6th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Poverty leads to disassociation from the world of normality ( whatever that may be ). The poor of necessity have to be reliant on the hand outs of the state, and are therefore tagged ( as a criminal would be perhaps ) as a scrounger, or a lazy individual by the rest of society. Perhaps it may be appropriate to commit individuals to training at appropriate levels to achiueve the status of normality at a liveable income to enable them to appreciate the rewards of contributing to both their family and the rest of society.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 6th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
The thing that i cannot stand is the politicians, MPs saying that work is good for you, it may be good for you if you earn enough to cover your bills but if all that happens at the end of working a seven day week is that you are still in debt then it is far from good for you, today there is a report that MPs are going to award themselves a whopping fifteen thousand pounds per year increase?, how can they possibly justify this when millions of families cannot even afford to put food on the table?
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.Poverty means no choice, no choice means being enslaved.
on May 6th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Please find a copy of my very recent letter: 4/5/08; forwarded to MP / PM / British Gas… A brief insight into the many barriers between the disengaged and the trapped…
Fuel Bills – Personal Dignity – Is Anyone Really Listening?
Dear Patricia, Prime Minister, British Gas and Friends,
I was interested to discover that British Gas is one of the big six companies now seeking to address fuel poverty – instigated by the staggering rises of late! I understand that a home is considered to be in fuel poverty if 10% or more of the household income is spent on energy bills. I have only been able to meet the rising costs of fuel bills in this last year because I arranged a Mortgage holiday – this is due to cease within the next 19days.(May 23rd 08) I face, like so many individuals within our society, an uncertain future – it takes its toll, believe me.
I have been paying a very high percentage (not including other fuel costs) of my income to British Gas every month – which is £35 per month, it has recently been suggested by British Gas that this figure rises to £42 per month. It is not that I do not wish to pay; it is that I am fast approaching a time when I simply cannot afford to pay. I therefore request to be considered for assistance through the scheme to address fuel poverty. I understand that energy companies have agreed to provide £225m in social assistance programmes over the next three years. I also understand that if all of this extra money were spent on fuel bills, 100,000 households would be lifted out of fuel poverty. However, the measure has been criticised for being inadequate to offset the effects of rising fuel prices which have plunged an additional 500,000 people into poverty. Are we really listening – do we really care?
My monthly income is £242.00 - (Jobseekers Allowance) Currently I am required to pay £42 per month to British Gas, and a further £30 to the Electric company – per month this totals: £72 per month out of £242 total income. This leaves me with approximately £128 a month, or £32 per week to meet all of my other commitments such as a Mortgage, Water Bills, Telephone, and Food – forget clothes or any social side to life!. When my mortgage resurfaces this will be my number one priority and will take the vast majority, if not all, of my income. Needless to say this is having a profound impact on my health and well-being, this and a policy of intensifying pressure and categorisation from specific government advisors –who label to dismiss!
I left work after – 25 years has a frontline Community Development Professional – through burnout, ill-health and other life events. My ICB ceased just before Christmas - no doubt inline with Political policies and I am still involved with the appeal process - even though I had a sick certificate to cover - I had to claim JSA… (£1.15p less per week)… I have gradually been embraced by increasing poverty. Poverty has impacted on my life severely and I have struggled for years now to meet my commitments; I am no longer waving but drowning. My income can be verified by contacting the DWP Wellington Street Leicester (0845 608 8525). Poverty has a crushing affect upon your well-being and health, but most of all it eats away at your dignity and ability to fight the rising tide of indifference and disengagement – organisations, business, Government, agencies just tune you out and you become invisible, and an easier target for exploitation.
I am forwarding this to my MP, and hopefully the PM, in the hope that such issues highlight the growing poverty that is too easily overlooked when politicians of all persuasions speak of ‘targets’ and ‘percentages’ they have forgotten that they are speaking of lives and individuals. For one person in the grips of unforgiving poverty the percentages are 100% – folk who want their dignity also! I hope British Gas, and my MP can help me with my request for assistance with the rocketing fuel bills. Is Anyone really listening? I represent thousands if not many more folk who have become invisible within our society and the gap between the disengaged and the trapped widens! People are more than ‘percentages’ and/or ‘targets’. But this is always the outcome of any structure with society when it becomes wise in its own eyes – it treats people with contempt, it categorises to dismiss. Power corrupts; it also blinds and deafens folk to the voice of the voiceless.
Yours sincerely
Adrian W.
Possible solutions… Do not label to dismiss or feign listening… engage with the facts that tens of thousands of people are being categorised, labelled and dismissed simply covered over by the spin of statistics and percentages - A person in my position is 100% poor in the fourth richest economy! And a Public Apology for comments made by Purnell and Freud for their appalling comments regarding folk unfortunate to exist on ICB or JSA?
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 6th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I agree with many of the above contributors that the increasing pay gap between the wealthy and the poor is clearly unfair and divisive. I would however like to point out that the UK emulates the rest of the globe in its tendency towards the feminisation of poverty. Women globally own the least property, work the longest hours for the least pay; in the UK, women part time workers are the lowest paid with the fewest employment rights; women have scandalously fewer pension rights than men (rights which are already minimal for both men and women); and to make matters worse, most women are socialised into working in specific poorly paid sectors such as nursing, teaching; counselling and social work. The reason these jobs are paid poorly is because they are ‘caring professions’ - work always traditionally done by women. There is absolutely no reason why these professions should not be better paid. Male dominated professions such as business and law ensure that their working hours and policies are not family-friendly and exclude women from the workplace. To make matters worse, the Trade Union movement is dominated by by men’s concerns, even to the point where unions are fighting against the implementation of equal pay in some public sector organisations.
The biggest issue holding back women however, is one that is resulting in even more entrenched inequlity. Only when violence against women is seriously addressed in this country will there ever be true equality. We see the daily rates of attrition in the media - the constant litany of domestic violence murders, rapes, sex murders, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, side by side with pictures of scantily clad women and stories of lacy thongs being sold by Tesco to children. The government seems powerless to do anything about the UK’s hatred of vulnerability and the UK male’s propensity to rid himself of his feelings of vulnerability by projecting them into everyone else perceived as vulnerable - women, children, gays, the disabled etc, and then to treat them with the contempt he secretly feels for his own vulnerability. The development of ‘hyper-masculinity’ especially in the young is fuelling gang, gun and knife crime as young men do not learn how to relate to one another except through mutual aggression. Rage and agression are the only permissible feelings in this culture of ultra masculinity. No wonder the UK’s children are at the bottom of the UN’s children’s wellbeing list, and top in the substance misuse, teenage pregnancy, depression and gang crime list. Violent video games and sexist Hip-Hop tracks reinforce the message to young people that women are just for using and exploiting, and other young men are just there to be confronted. Unfortunately, this hyper-masculinity culture leads to women being polarised in the opposite direction - as men can only be seen as thrusting and strong, women can only be seen as compliant and sexual; nothing else about them matters. Girls fall for the media hype and worry only about their looks and jobs that support this avenue of boosting their self esteem. (If you are a woman, try to buy a pair of trainers that aren’t pink - you’ll have your work cut out).
One way out of this mess would be to send teams of gender awareness trainers into schools. Someone who has successfully done this in the States is Byron Hurt, a black American film maker and Hip-Hop fan who promotes gender equality and challenges gender stereotypes. His film ‘Beyond Beats and Rhymes’ is stunning - see his website for further information.
Two other things - many ordianary people in this country believe that as sexual assault is a major crime and alcohol misuse is a major issue in the UK that it stands to reason that victims must be able to access help and treatment services. THIS IS NOT THE CASE!! I have worked in both fields, and not only are sexual assault services only very patchily available across the UK, alcohol services are also in decline for lack of funding. (80% of addictions funding goes to drug projects, not alcohol projects). I work currently in addictions, and have to tell you that the last time I referred someone for detox in London (someone who was suicidal, anorexic and desperate for help) they had to wait
2 1/2 months (referred at the beginning of December 07, offered a place in mid Feb 08)- in fact, they couldn’t wait the last 2 weeks and the person was eventually admitted to hospital ward with severe jaundice and had to be put on a drip. I have heard that waiting lists for detox sometimes run to 5 months.
We need serious changes in culture in this country - towards women, towards masculinity, towards vulnerability, towards class and poverty, towards addiction policy. Addiction strictly speaking is a search for attachment (if you believe in attachment theory as I do). We all need each other, but some people - especially the privileged - will take some convincing.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 6th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
As 25% of the voting population have a disability, it would make sense for any government to take notice of them and not sideline them. A quarter of the population and we are being ignored, how stupid for any political party to do that.
Does anyone know that 2008 is the year of the Assistance Dog? No? I thought so!
The Human Rights and Equalities Commission has swallowed up the Disability Rights Commission, try finding anything to do with disabilities on the site, you will be lucky if you can.
Am I bitter, hmm yes.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 26th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
[…] To see some research about peoples experience of poverty in Britain today; http://www.socialevils.org.uk/2008/04/09/poverty-and-inequality/ […]
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on June 4th, 2008 at 10:12 am
After reading all the previous posts, most see socialism as a way of removing inequalities and reducing poverty. Well, consider, we have had a socialist government for 11 years and it’s made a bigger hash of everything - child poverty is up, crime is up, come to think of it, everything is up. Maybe people just ought to examine why people choose to stay at the bottom of the pile. With so many benefits available, it encourages laziness, destroys initiative and has made divorce and single motherhood boom. I say there is no true poverty in this country other than poverty of spirit - just look at all those kids in poverty and total up what it cost to dress them. The choices these people make on how to spend their money - sorry, but there is no excuse for it.
As for the whiners who bang on about violence against women, unequal pay for women and lack of choices, they should really look long and deep. It’s a fact, a woman does the same job as a man, she is paid the same - it’s illegal not to do so. Women working longer hours than men? That really depends on what you count as work and most surveys show( when ALL work is included, men in fact still work longer hours. Women in general CHOOSE lower paid work and a question to ask any woman is “how much do you pay your cleaner?” You can bet it ain’t the £8ph they may be earning in a call center - so who keeps their pay low? As for violence against women, more comprehensive surveys demonstrate 70% of all domestic violence is instigated by the woman (32 nation survey), women go for divorce in around 70% of all cases. So who is the greatest cause of female and child poverty?
The best way to defeat all these socials ills is really education. Educate people to a higher expectation of moral, ethical and social values but be prepared to give a helping hand to those unable to reach up. And those undeserving poor that will always be with us? Well, you can take them out of a slum but you can’t take the slum out of them- leave them to it.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on August 10th, 2008 at 10:38 am
the only remedy for the poverty is to follow islaamic zakaat.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on August 13th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Hey for anyone looking for some real debate on poverty you might be interested in this link - http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/?p=62
It’s about the causes of poverty, a real discussion on what causes it, whose fault it is etc…as you know David Cameron recently criticised those living in poor areas in Britain because they didn’t do enough to get themselves out of the situation.
This is an interesting place to debate as there are conflicting opinions on whose fault poverty really is - those who are poor or the rich?
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.