Defining poverty
Summary
notes
Operationalisation

Poverty is a difficult concept to operationalise.

It has a political implications - governments are
supposed to deal with it.

It has social implications - poverty can be a
source of shame and low status for individuals.
Absolute poverty
 This
is based on a measurement of
the absolute minimum a person
requires for biological survival:
Food
– Water
– Warmth and shelter
– Clothing
–
Deprivation

People who lack the means of survival are
defined as poor.

Seebohm Rowntree used absolute definitions
of poverty in his studies of the poor in York.

This definition is typical of early studies of
poverty.
Discussion point

Keith Joseph, 1976,
Conservative politician said,
‘There is very little poverty in
Britain today’, using an
absolute measurement of
poverty.

How far can you agree with
this statement?

Who might you consider to be
absolutely poor in Britain?
Problems …
Absolute definitions still tend to be
subjective about the minimum
requirements needed for life.
 We need things for mental health for
instance … books, tv, pets
 Standards of acceptable health and food
quality change over time.

Relative poverty


Relative poverty is when people are compared to those around
them, or to what others might reasonably be expected to afford.
It can include lack of:
– Educational opportunity
– Material possessions
– Health care
– Good quality housing
– Civil Rights
– Social opportunity
Subjective poverty





This is a little used concept, but is based on the notion of
felt poverty.
People feel poor if those around them have more than they
do.
The people against whom one measures oneself are known
as the reference group.
In the past, people may have been deprived, but not felt
poor because they were unaware of what others have.
Could television have a role in creating subjective poverty?
Uses of such definitions
 Poverty
is a social construction and
so this reflects general standards of
living and expectation.
 It
helps us to understand broader
debates such as social exclusion.
Problems with such definitions




This is not easy for people to understand, because
most people actually think in terms of absolute
poverty.
Relative definitions tend to measure inequality rather
than poverty.
It is difficult to arrive at a fair definition of poverty,
either high enough or low enough.
How often should such definitions be up-dated?
Peter Townsend

Be certain that you mention this
man’s name in your answers.

He has been the leading British
researcher in the field for many
years.

Find out more by visiting
www.bris.ac.uk/poverty/
Abel- Smith and Townsend (1965)
 Introduced
concepts of relative
poverty to the study of poverty in
Britain.
 They
based their measure on
Social Security payments.
Peter Townsend (1979)



He drew up a list of indicators of deprivation
and then chose the 12 most reliable he
considered to indicate deprivation.
These included: access to holidays, ability to
offer food to friends, lack of parties for children,
lack of fresh meat, lack of cooked breakfast.
People on lower incomes tend to experience
significant deprivation.
Piachaud (1981)



He points out that Townsend’s deprivation
index includes people who make lifestyle
choices (vegetarians?)
He claims that not having a fridge for instance
is more significant than not having meat.
This suggests that Townsend’s index is not as
scientific as it claims.
Mack and Lansley (1985)

Used a method of deciding on a list of
essentials for living and found 7.5 million
people were living in poverty in UK. This list
consisted of 22 items including damp free
home and outings for children.

Rising living standards meant that 32 items
were used in a repeat study in 1990.
Falkingham and Hills (1995)

Measure poverty in terms of the ability to live a
life characterised by active participation in
society and a sense of security.

This is known as capability poverty.

This is related to notions of social exclusion
Social Indicators

Indicators are social symptoms of poverty
–
–
–
–
–
–
Long term benefit receipt
Low birth weight
Low educational attainment
Unemployment
Suicide
Non-participation in politics
Howarth et al.


Using a social indicators approach, Howarth et al
discovered that poverty and disadvantage is
concentrated into distinct community areas.
Deprivation is linked to social class with people in the
two lowest indicators of class experiencing higher rates
of
–
–
–
–
–
–
Young male suicides
Underweight births
Concentration into specific schools
Likelihood of premature motherhood
Depression and mental illness
Victimhood
Inequality approaches




We live in a culture where many people experience
very high standards of living.
Some people have high levels of income and of
spending.
This approach looks at public policy and uses data
gathered by government agencies to analyse and
comment on social change.
Goodman, Johnson and Webb use this approach to
point out that levels of inequality are rising in modern
Britain.
Government definition




The Government bases its analysis on the Family Expenditure
Survey to estimate the number of people with household
incomes in a fraction of national averages.
One of the most commonly used definitions of poverty is those
who have less than 50% of the average national income. This
measure is used cross-nationally.
Benefits tend to offer an income very close to 50% of national
average incomes so if the poverty line was drawn lower, the
percentage of those in poverty would be significantly higher
In Britain, 20% of the population has an income below the
government definition of poverty.
Social Exclusion

This is a recent concept, used by the government in
place of poverty.
“Social exclusion is something that can happen to anyone. But some
people are significantly more at risk than others. Research has found
that people with certain backgrounds and experiences are
disproportionately likely to suffer social exclusion. The key risk-factors
include: low income; family conflict; being in care; school problems;
being an ex-prisoner; being from an ethnic minority; living in a
deprived neighbourhood in urban and rural areas; mental health
problems, age and disability.”
Source: Preventing social exclusion: report by the Social Exclusion
Unit. Cabinet Office, 2001, p11.
General conclusions



Most definitions of poverty are arbitrary and
relative, even if they are based on statistical
analyses.
Most definitions of poverty are drawn at a low
level.
Many people are clustered on or near poverty
lines, so slight changes in definition can
remove or add people to the lists of those who
are poor.
Moral views of poverty
Relative definition
We should all be
equally well off.
Some people should
be better off, they
work harder
Egalitarian view
We should be equal
but no one needs to
have more than they
need.
Elitist view
People who are poor
are defective morally
and intellectually.
Absolute definition
Questions




Why is important to have an adequate
definition of poverty?
What is it that can make the definition of
poverty a source of political debate?
What moral questions are raised by the
existence of poverty in our society?
Why should we care about poverty in Britain?
The End
If you have any ideas
for improving this
slideshow, please see
Mrs Griffiths