American Scorecard:
Special Populations
Brian McDonald
Center on Poverty, Work, & Opportunity
UNC School of Law
Warm-Up Questions
• What is the culture of poverty and
how does it contribute to economic
inequality?
• What contributes to economic
inequality for young/older people,
women, and minority groups?
• What role does education play
economic inequality?
African Americans
• In addition to historical trends and
racism, factors that impact poverty in
the black community include:
– Education gap
– Culture of poverty, including family
structure and incarceration issues
– Institutional racism
– Minimum wage jobs, few benefits, little to
no insurance
– Job issues: Relocation of once reliable
employers; move of many jobs to the
suburbs
African Americans
Native Americans
• Conditions on the reservation, low
income jobs/unemployment, history,
health problems, limited or no
insurance and alcoholism are
contributing factors to their poverty
• Native Americans have the highest
unemployment of any minority group,
yet policy inaction, geography, and a
lack of media coverage have excluded
this group and limited positive
economic change
Native Americans
Native Americans
Immigrants
• Causes of poverty
–
–
–
–
–
Low wages and worker exploitation
Unemployment or only part-time work
No insurance and/or few benefits
Education gap (and language barriers)
Limited mobility or promotions from entrylevel positions
• Debate over illegal immigration
– What impact do undocumented workers have
on the economy?
Immigrants
Women
• The glass ceiling, sexual harassment,
decisions regarding family life, pay
inequity, stereotypes, and gender roles
all contribute to economic inequality
• “Consequences” of motherhood:
– Lower lifetime salaries because of
children (mommy tax)
– Divided attention between work
and home (mommy track)
Women
Young People
• Causes of poverty • Consequences
– Inherited from
family
– Family structure
(one parent vs.
two parent
households)
– Dropping out of
high school,
limited education
– Unemployment
– Teen pregnancy
– Competition with
other groups for jobs
and part-time work
– Debt (benefits vs.
costs of attending
higher education)
– Moving back in with
your parents
– Becoming a part of
the culture of
poverty, passing it on
The Elderly
• Causes
– Lack of savings or retirement (large portion of their
income is derived from Social Security)
– Increased medical costs or health problems
– Rising costs and other economic problems
– Limited services or knowledge of assistance that exists
– Ageism and other discrimination
• Consequences
– Working longer, limited retirement
– Less than ideal long-term care
– Health problems (with limited insurance)
Young/Elderly
Young/Elderly
The Disabled
• Some that are mentally & physically
disabled have a difficult time finding a job
& maintaining responsibilities.
• There is a negative relationship between
socioeconomic status and mental illness
• Unemployment contributes to
homelessness, a major problem for three
million veterans in the United States
The Disabled
Generalizations
• Discrimination and the culture of
poverty impact the economic
inequality of people in all groups
of society
• Many special populations groups
remain a part of the invisible poor
• Affirmative action programs have
attempted to remedy some of
these problems.
Questions to Consider
• What causes of poverty seem to
exist across multiple special
populations? Why?
• Which causes are unique to a
specific group?
• What role does the majority have
in helping the minority when it
comes to poverty and economic
inequality?