Human Arrangements Essay

The increase of poverty in the recent years is one of the major problems which the United States has to face. As the survey shows, the highest poverty rates in the United States were witnessed during the years of recession, for example 1960, 1975, 1983 and others. However, the poverty rates increased dramatically through 2001-2003. In 2002, the number of people in poverty reached 34. 4 million, which is 12. 1% of the population. The poverty rate was at its lowest level between 1970-1980 years, but since that time it never decreased until that level. In the last years, it was the lowest in 2000 (at the level of 11%) but since that time it kept increasing annually. In 2003, poverty rate reached 12. 5% which is 0. 4% higher than in 2002. The dynamics of poverty in the United States also shows that the most vulnerable members of the society are people under the age of 18 (17% of them are in poverty). Citizens aged 18-64 have had the lowest poverty rates up to 2002, when the level of poverty rates of seniors (aged 65 and older) reached their level. According to the regional characteristic, states in which poverty rates increased the most included Florida, Illinois, Utah, South Carolina and others. It is also necessary to analyze the dynamics of poverty rates among different races. According to the survey, poverty rates increased greatly among all of the races present in the United States. At the same time, the income level of White, Asian and Black households remained unchanged while the income of Hispanic households experienced some decrease. Among these groups, Black households have the lowest level of income and thus have the highest poverty rates among the groups in the society. In 2003, the median income of Black families reached only $30,000 which was only 62% of the $48,000 income of White households (non-Hispanic origin). The group with the highest income level, and thus the smallest number of people below the poverty line was Asians. Their average income reached $55,000 in 2003. It is possible to conclude that among all of the groups, Blacks are experiencing the most problems with obtaining income. Asian households receive almost the double income of what Black households receive. Due to the fact that poverty rates are increasing with years, it means that Black citizens are going to become more and more vulnerable in the society. In 2003, 24. 4% of Black people were below the poverty line, and the percentage has increasing by 2005. For comparison, only 11% of Asian people were below the poverty line in 2003. There are many reasons why the poverty rate among Blacks has changed the most during the recent years. First, due to discrimination, many Black people are still unable to get high-paying jobs which people of other origins get easily. The experience of New Orleans shows that despite the hopes of African Americans hat discrimination would be reduces with time, this process is very slow. Most of the people affected by hurricane in New Orleans lost their houses and jobs, and it will be very difficult for them to achieve their previous level of income in the following years. Unfortunately, the government did not take any measures to assist the people whose houses were devastated by the hurricane. Situation with New Orleans is only one of the examples of how discrimination occurs in the United States and Black population is unable to reach the same income level as other races. Another reason of high poverty rate among Blacks is their inability to enter prestigious establishments of higher learning. Due to the low income level of their families in comparison with other races, they are often unable to obtain good education which would lead them to high-paying jobs. At the same time, it is necessary to mark that due to the introduction of Civil Rights legislation, the poverty level of Blacks in the recent years is much lower than it was before the adoption of legislation. Even though the poverty rate has been increasing during the last years, the average rate is much lower than it was in the 50s. Despite the fact that Blacks are still experiencing some sort of discrimination, it is much less noticeable as it was before the adoption of Civil Rights legislation. Owing to the legislation, they finally got an opportunity to have the same rights as white people and thus the overall poverty level among Blacks declined dramatically in comparison with previous decades. Bibliography. 1. Poverty in the United States- 2002. Issued September 2003. Available at URL: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/popula.html 2. Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2003. Issued August 2004. Available at URL: http://www. census. gov/prod/www/abs/income. html.