INTRODUCTION: Poverty is a multidimensional concept that seeks to measure levels of deprivation

encountered by a person, household or community. Although most of the literature focuses on

indicators of deprivation such as income, food, access to housing and so on, the choice of indicators to
measure levels of deprivation can often be arbitrary and hence may not reflect a full-scale measure of
unmet basic needs in different social contexts. This discrepancy leads to concepts such as poverty.

In this I have chosen to talk about the type of poverty known as generational poverty. It can simply be
defined as “Generational Poverty is defined as a family having lived in poverty for at least two
generations.”
FACTS AND FIGURES: Close to 900 million people around the world live in severe poverty based on an
income poverty line of $1.90 a day in 2015.

2. Poverty levels remain high globally, and are particularly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South
Asia.

3. Global poverty is concentrated in lower middle income countries and countries dependent on natural
resources as well as in fragile and conflict-affected states.

4. Looking beyond the income measure, 1.6 billion people are considered poor across measures of
access to social services and security, with the largest global share of poor people being in South Asia
and the highest intensity in sub-Saharan Africa

5. Among other factors, demographic growth is a major challenge to poverty reduction in sub-Saharan
Africa.

6. Meeting the 2030 target of eradicating poverty is contingent on addressing income distributional
patterns as well as incorporating environmental factors in economic policies.

7. Climate change could account for close to 10.1 million more poor people by the middle of the
century.

8. Even if the world succeeds in reaching its target of 3% poverty by 2030, deep pockets of poverty will
still remain around.

KEY FACTS ABOUT GENERATIONAL POVERTY:

Hopelessness

Most people think of poverty as lacking financial resources to meet basic living requirements.
Families dealing with Generational Poverty are also challenged with three other forms of
poverty:

 Educational Poverty
 Parental Poverty
 Spiritual Poverty
The cumulative effect of these different forms of poverty sometimes creates the most damaging
outcome of Generational Poverty—the constant presence of Hopelessness.

Hopelessness is the key factor in creating the cycle —one generation to the next. Without hope
and the belief that life can be better, the motivation and energy needed to break the cycle are
very low.

2. Surviving vs. Planning

People caught in the cycle of Generational Poverty are focused on surviving. They are focused
on the issue/challenge facing them today. It may be money for food, finding a place to live,
dealing with family member’s issues, unresolved health issues, etc. This is a daily
experience—each day presenting itself with another issue, another challenge. All of this is done
under the cloak of urgency. The concept of planning typically doesn’t exist, due in part because
planning is tied to the belief that the individual has sufficient control of their life.

3. Values and Patterns

The values of those caught in the Generational Poverty cycle are very different from those who
have grown up middle class. Generational Poverty values will center more on survival and
short–term outcomes. In comparison, generally, middle class values encompass education, work
and being perceived as a productive member of society. In Generational Poverty, it is also
possible that counterproductive traditions are passed down such as low emphasis on education.

CASE STUDY:

Generational Poverty in Arizona

Over 405,000 children live in extreme poverty in Arizona { Learn More }. With over 1,107,000 people living
below the federal poverty line, Arizona has one of the highest poverty rates in the United States. Twenty-four
percent of Arizona’s children are currently living in poverty, well above the national average. Most of these
children live in extremely impoverished communities(8). Of employed workers in the state, 28% earn less than
$21,000 per year, an alarming statistic given that the federal poverty threshold for a family of four is
$24,563(9).
At the same time, Arizona has a failing education system. The state ranks 45th in the nation for educational
quality(10) and has a high-school dropout rate that is among the highest in the country, at over 23%. Only 36%
of the state’s residents have earned an associate’s degree or higher(11).
Such a climate of high poverty and low education traps Arizonans in the cycle of generational poverty,
spurring higher poverty rates with each subsequent generation. This becomes everyone’s problem as high
poverty rates lead to higher taxes, higher rates of incarceration, higher crime, and less stable communities.
Thankfully, there is a proven solution to the cycle of generational poverty.
SOLUTION:
Studies find that empowering women is the most effective strategy for improving the condition of
children(12). Women are three-times more likely than men to reinvest their earnings into their family. They are
more likely to encourage their children to pursue educational opportunities, to promote better health and
nutrition in their families, and to manage their finances responsibly(13). Economic empowerment for women
is the solution to generational poverty.
Almost 40% of employed women in AZ live in poverty, and 79% of the state’s single-parent families live
in poverty and are headed by women. { Learn More }
With this in mind, Live and Learn develops individualized pathways out of poverty for low-income women.
We make it possible for them to reach economic self-sufficiency by providing support in five crucial areas:
 First, we work with each woman to develop personalized educational goals, ranging from earning a
certification to pursuing a degree from a university.
 Second, we create an individualized career plan to start moving each woman towards a stable career that
offers a livable wage.
 Third, we bolster each woman’s psycho-social support according to her needs with services such as group
and individual mentorship, monthly support groups, and weekly study groups.
 Fourth, we help each woman with life-skill development in such areas as self-care and nutrition, job
hunting, post-placement challenges and adjustments, housing transition, parenting, communication, and
much more.
 Fifth, we educate each woman on financial literacy, including financial basics, household budgeting,
saving strategies, and debt recovery.