The causes of child poverty in the United States cannot be separated from the grounds of adult poverty. The costs associated with raising children are one of the many reasons families fall into poverty, along with the loss of jobs and reduced wages. Factors that make it difficult to meet people’s basic needs mean that their children also grow up in conditions of economic instability and deprivation (FRONTLINE PBS, 2017). The main reason children in the United States suffer from poverty is that the country’s financial systems are not designed to support all families. Also, economic inequality continues to persist in the United States, directly related to the chronic poverty faced by families across the country. Stagnant wages and discrimination in the labor market are also severe causes of child poverty.
Since April 2020, the proportion of children who have at least one unemployed parent has consistently remained higher than stated during the peak of the Great Recession. More than 4 out of 10 children live in families that cannot cover basic expenses, and between 7 and 11 million children live in families where they cannot eat enough because of the high cost (Kim & Drake, 2018). Systemic inequality rooted in slavery and genocide contributes to a disproportionately high poverty level, particularly among children of color. In Ohio, the percentage of people below the poverty line does not exceed 13 percent (Talk poverty, n.d.). Although the percentage of poverty is higher in many other states, it is still a deplorable fact.
However, this is a severe problem because of which children are forced to live in poverty. To cope with the current situation, it is necessary to take some serious measures. It is required to create temporary jobs for the unemployed and partially employed between 16 and 64 in families with children (Dickman et al., 2017). It will also be effective to increase the earned income tax deduction for families with low-income children. It is possible to make payments for a child with additional benefits for families with young children. Finally, it is necessary to provide subsidies for child care to all eligible families with a low level of poverty. Thus, it is essential to take care of the well-being of children living in poverty. The state should help disadvantaged families survive difficult times and fight against sexism and racism, which have led to significant economic inequality.
References
Dickman, S. L., Himmelstein, D. U., & Woolhandler, S. (2017). Inequality and the health-care system in the USA.The Lancet, 389(10077), 1431-1441.
FRONTLINE PBS. (2017, n.d.). Poor kids [Video]. YouTube.
Kim, H., & Drake, B. (2018). Child maltreatment risk as a function of poverty and race/ethnicity in the USA. International journal of epidemiology, 47(3), 780-787.
Talk poverty. (n.d.).