Welcome to Unit 3 Seminar

Chapter 5 – PovertyChapter 6 – Race & Ethnic Relations

Lori A. Bonnevier, MSW, LCSW

Unit 3 Project

You have been learning that people are discriminated against for a variety of reasons and that some populations struggle with this more than others.

Choose one group that experiences discrimination according to your text. You can choose an ethnic group or a group determined by age such as children or the elderly.

Unit 3 Project

1. First, explain why you chose this group.2. Using the text and the websites you researched in this

unit, explain the connections between poverty and discrimination for your chosen group. Remember to use research from your text or other reliable sources and cite your sources appropriately.

3. ***Discuss how the agencies and organizations you researched influence poverty and discrimination for that group. Do you agree with the way they do their work? Why or why not? ***

4. Conclude with your reflections on how completing this project has influenced the work you do or want to do with clients.

Unit 3 Project

Your project should be between 500 and 900 words, double spaced, not including your title and reference page.

While no points will be deducted if APA formatting is incorrect, points can be deducted if there is no attempt to cite references. Please use the Research, Citation, and Plagiarism document found in Doc Sharing to help you with formatting your project.

Title Page:

Title of paper, Unit 3 Project Your name Course name and section,HN200-04 Date Academic Institution, KU (spell) Instructors name and credentials:Lori A. Bonnevier, MSW, LCSW

Reference page

Sullivan, Thomas J. (2010). Introduction to Social Problems

Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Please reference the APA quick guide in our classroom for correct citation of other academic sources.

Chapter 5Poverty Poverty

Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't

commit.  ~Eli Khamarov

Myth or Fact? (p. 120)

Both the poor and the affluent are a drain on the treasury and both pay to support it.

Receiving welfare encourages women to have more children, to leave their husbands and to avoid work.

Fact Myth

Defining Poverty

An absolute definition of povertyestablishes a fixed economic level below which people are considered poor, and this level does not necessarily

change as society on the whole becomes more or less affluent.

A relative definition of poverty focuses on the idea that people are poor relative to

some standard, and that standard is partially shaped by the lifestyles of other citizens

A cultural definition of poverty views poverty not only in terms of how many

resources people have, but also in terms of why they failed to achieve a higher economic level.

Extent of Poverty in the U.S.

In 2005 in the U.S. 37 million people, or 1 in 8 citizens, or 12.6% of the population, were living in poverty

The poorest 20% of households receive less than 4% of the total income while the wealthiest 20% receive over 50%.

Who are the poor? Racial and Ethnic Minorities

Most of the poor in the U.S. are white, while nonwhites are more likely to be poor than whites.

Children Thirty four percent of the poor are children under

the age of eighteen. The Elderly

Poverty is relatively low among the elderly: It is slightly lower than among non-elderly adults.

FIGURE 5.4 People Living Below the Poverty Level by Race as a Percentage of All Poor People, 2005

FIGURE 5.6 Percentage of Children Younger Than EighteenLiving Below the Poverty Level, 2005

Who are the poor? Women

A growing number of women are among the poor, which has been called the feminization of poverty.

Central City and Rural Dwellers Poverty tends to be concentrated in certain

places such as central-city and rural areas. The Disabled

As many as one-third of the poor suffer from severe physical disabilities.

Future Prospects

Approaches to reducing poverty include Encouraging full employment

A situation in which everyone or nearly everyone who wants to work can find a job

Educating and training the poor to compete effectively in the job market

Early childhood interventions include Head Start

Jobs programs include on-the-job training and temporary public service jobs

Future prospects

Providing income maintenance programs Social insurance programs

Social Security Medicare

Public assistance programs Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

(TANF) General Assistance (GA) Medicaid Noncash Benefits

Chapter 6: Race and Ethnic relations

Myth or Fact? The Civil Rights

Act, affirmative action, and other social policies have eliminated racism in the U.S.

Of all American minorities, American Indians remain among the poorest.

Myth Fact

Minority Groups

A minority group is a group whose members share distinct physical or cultural

characteristics, are denied access to power and

resources available to other groups, and

are accorded fewer rights, privileges, and opportunities.

Race and Ethnicity

Race a group of people who are believed to

be a biological group sharing genetically transmitted traits that are defined as important.

Ethnic group a group of people who share a common

historical and cultural heritage and sense of group identity and belongingness.

Racism

Racism is the view that certain racial or ethnic groups are biologically inferior and that practices involving their domination and exploitation are therefore justified.

Sources of Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice an irrational attitude toward certain people

based solely on their membership in a particular group

Discrimination behaviors, particularly unequal treatment

of people because they are members of a particular group

Prejudice and discrimination result from social and psychological sources.

Social Sources

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view one’s own groups or

culture as an in-group that follows the best and the only proper way to live.

Competition Competitive situations can lead to prejudice

and discrimination. A split labor market is one in which there are two

groups of workers willing to do the same work, but for different wages.

Internal colonialism refers to when a subordinate group provides cheap labor that benefits the dominate group and is then further exploited by having to purchase expensive goods and services from the dominant group.

Social Sources

Socialization Once patterns of prejudice and discrimination

become legitimated, they can then be transmitted to new members through the process of socialization.

Institutionalized Discrimination Institutionalized discrimination is the inequitable

treatment of a group resulting from practices or policies that are incorporated into social, political or economic institutions and that operate independently from the prejudices of individuals.

Psychological Sources

Stereotyping Stereotypes are oversimplified images in which each

element or person in a category is assumed to possess all the characteristics associated with that category.

Frustration and aggression Frustration and aggression arise when people become

frustrated by their inability to achieve sought after goals.

Authoritarian personality Authoritarian personality refers to a rigid adherence to

conventional lifestyles and values, admiration of power and toughness in interpersonal relationships, submission to authority, cynicism, an emphasis on obedience, and a fear of things that are different.

Consequences of Discrimination Discrimination

forces some groups into a disadvantageous position in the stratification system and adversely affects their life chances

may cause those who feel it to accept the devalued and stigmatized view of themselves

creates tense, hostile, and sometimes violent encounters between dominant members and minority group members

undermines our social and political values and institutions

Future Prospects

Techniques that have been used to try to improve race and ethnic relations in the U.S. include: collective protest and civil rights

legislation affirmative action programs school programs and districting improving the economy

Opportunity to Share and Discuss…

How are prejudices formed?

What can you do as a human service professional to combat prejudice and discrimination?

In your opinion what is the one way to raise people out of poverty?