Introduction
“Poverty must be seen as the deprivation of basic capabilities rather than lowness of incomes, which is the standard criterion of identification of poverty” (Sen 1). Because of poverty, most people in the world cannot progress. The abilities of most poor people are limited by their status. They cannot educate their children, invest profitably, have capital, and or compete in the markets.
They are edged out of many beneficial competitions. This perspective of poverty focuses on understanding the true cause and characteristics of capability deprivation because of poverty rather than focusing on income alone as a means to end poverty. With this foundation, this study endeavors to shed light on the argument that capability deprivation is a more powerful approach for finding ways to fight poverty as opposed to being a means of raising the incomes of the poor.
Nussbaum’s formulation of ten specific capabilities and Sen’s argument
Nussbaum supports Sen’s argument that efforts in poverty eradication should be focused on capability deprivation, which is the taking away of the abilities bestowed on someone, rather than raising the income of the poor. According to Nussbaum, a society that neglects the social justice of its people is not a just society. Social justice denotes the ability of people to interact freely with others regardless of age, gender, color, and or race. The first capability that is central to human beings is life. Human beings should not die before their actual maturity time.
People should have the ability to live until their lives become reduced to the extent of not being worth living hence supporting Sen’s idea of respect for life of all human beings. Human beings will be unable to live the normal length of life due to poverty, for example, through hunger and or lack of water to drink. The second central human capability that Nussbaum uses to supports Sen’s opinion is bodily health. Nussbaum is for the opinion that all human beings should be provided with an environment that allows them to enjoy good health.
People should not be deprived of reproductive wellbeing, food, or accommodation. Absence of these factors leads to capability deprivation on the victim. As Sen argues, due to poverty, most poor societies are deprived of reproductive health abilities. The third central human capability put forward by Nussbaum in support of Sen’s argument is bodily integrity. People should be free to move without being threatened. They should be protected against any violence or assault. In most poverty-stricken areas of the world, violence in the form of inter-ethnic wrangles, cattle rustling, and lawlessness have resulted in injuries, maiming, and even death.
Gender justice is underprivileged when men involve in pervasive sexual behavior. The fourth central human capability that he cites comprises imagination, senses, and thought. People should be allowed to have free thought and imaginations. However, poverty deprives people of education resulting in income deprivation meaning that the ability of the people to get financial gains is taken away. Education opens up people’s imagination, senses, and thoughts. Because of poverty, people cannot pursue the kind of careers they want.
Poverty also deprives the people of their right to opinion in politics and social arenas. Such deprivation is intrinsic: it should take prominence in the fight against poverty. The fifth human capability is emotion. Poverty deprives people of the feeling of attachment by choice. Poor people cannot love the way they want. They cannot anger the way they want and cannot grieve with those they are attached to in an appropriate way. Poverty eradication mechanisms ought to be focused on the support of associations that are crucial to human development, which is intrinsic and weightier than income provision.
The sixth human capability that Nassibaum puts across in support of Sen’s argument is the practical reason. Poverty deprives people of the ability to be at liberty in conscience and to follow a religion of choice. As Sen argues, the free will to plan one’s life is intrinsic. Poverty deprives people of social justice meaning that the societal levels of fairness become unbalanced. People do not associate at the same level. The other human capability that Nussbaum put across is affiliation (35). Poverty deprives people of their free will to attach themselves with other human beings’ concerns for example of participating fully in social relations.
Poverty eradication measures should focus on protecting affiliation institutions such as families and social groupings. In addition, poverty eradication should provide for self-respect for all. Every human being should not be humiliated on the grounds of being poor. Poverty alters social justice through discrimination. The poor are discriminated on the grounds of sex, race, sexual orientation, nationality, and origin hence depriving them of their affiliation. The eighth human capability is relations with other species.
Poverty abolition procedures should focus on enabling the poor to live comfortably with nature including plants and animals. In many instances, poverty has led to human beings competing for food with animals because of income deprivation. Poverty has also led to human beings killing animals for food and or to sell their organs like tusks and skins. In fact, poverty makes a good number of people cut trees for charcoal and fuel thus resulting in environmental degradation. The ninth human capability is playing.
Poverty deprives people of their free will to enjoy recreation. When poverty strikes, people tend to focus on the means of putting food on the table at all times. Because of lack of play and relaxation of the mind, people suffer from lifestyle-related diseases like depression. Finally, Nussbaum says that human beings should have the ability to control their environment (33), the ability to participate in political matters, associate, and even to speak. Poverty also deprives people of the right to own property. Focus in poverty eradication should enable people to own property since it is intrinsic.
Lawana Marts’s Experience with Maggie in “Swamp Nurse”
Lawana Marts’s experience with Maggie in Swamp Nurse supports the claim that Sen presents that effort in poverty eradication should be focused on capability deprivation than adjusting income levels of the poor. The first example is the prevalence of constant hurricanes, which implies that people cannot live freely since they fear for their lives.
Such hurricanes like Katrina resulted in deaths of many people before their full life span was done. The other example in this story is the low literacy levels resulting in people who cannot imagine, think, and sense correctly. In Louisiana, literacy levels are very low. This situation has in fact led to the inability of the poor to emancipate themselves from time-barred beliefs. Such beliefs include the notion that breast milk is worse than formula milk, and that, when the baby is held by a menstruating woman, it suffers from constipation as confirmed by Boo. With education, such a community should have been civilized beyond such retrogressive beliefs.
This argument is a proof that education emancipates the thoughts, imaginations, and senses of the poor. The story also cites poor health in Louisiana. Due to poor heath, infant mortality rate is high thus depriving the poor children of the ability to live. Focus on poverty eradication should begin by addressing the issue. Another deprivation that is evident in this story is that of health. According to Boo, Maggi’s mother (Tammy) is depicted as sick and malnourished. Her daughter is also suffering from hepatitis making her weak and unable to work and in turn depriving her of her income sources.
They also suffered from depression, which is an intrinsic need than having income. If Maggi had a good health education concerning contraceptives and sexual health, she could not have gotten pregnant in school. However, most of the early marriages happen in poor societies. According to McCall, a couple’s commitments can result in a positive compromise attribution (49).
Such young people like Maggi and Jose reach a compromise to secure a future for their kid. Such education is paramount in poverty eradication and mainstreaming of gender justice. The story also depicts Jose and Maggi making a life threatening decision due to poverty. Poverty can deprive ones right to make free will decisions. For example, Jose makes a decision to become a marine corps to join forces in Iraq while knowing that many corps who went to Iraq came back dead. However, he had to secure a good life for his family.
Conclusion
In conclusion, poverty eradication efforts should focus on capability deprivation as opposed to hiking income levels of the poor. As revealed in the paper, poverty eradication efforts should focus on basic capabilities like life, health, bodily integrity, senses, thoughts and imagination, play, interaction with other species, control over the environment, and affiliations. From the story of Lawana Marts’s experience with Maggie in Swamp Nurse, it is clear that poverty deprives people of their capabilities. Therefore, all efforts in poverty eradication should begin by restoring human capabilities.
Works Cited
Boo, Katherine. Swamp Nurse: The New Yorker. London: Routledge, 2006. Print.
McCall, Meldin. “Orientation, outcome, and other-serving attributions.” Basic Appl.Soc. Psychol. 17.1(1995): 49.64. Print.
Nussbaum, Martha. “Capabilities as Fundamental Entitlements: Sen and Social Justice.” Feminist Economics 9. 2-3(2003): 33-59. Print.
Sen, Amartya. Poverty as Capability Deprivation. Development as Freedom. New York: Random House Digital, Inc., 2011. Print.