When we think about child poverty, we usually think about third world countries but unfortunately child poverty is a serious issue even in as developed a country as the U.K. The economic gap between developed and developing countries has been narrowing, thus, it is even more important for UK Government and public to understand and tackle the causes of child poverty for the sake of the country’s future.
One of the causes of child poverty is a family where no one has a job. Even children in families in which only one parent may be working are at higher risk of poverty than families in which both parents have jobs. This may especially be true if the lone parent with the job belongs to a low-income group . Being raised by a lone parent also increases the risk of child poverty. There is also a positive correlation between large-sized families and risk of child poverty because higher expenses levels may make it difficult to provide adequate care for individual child. In fact, the risk of child overty is about 50 percent higher in families with three or more children as compared to families with two children. Some areas where cost of living is high also increase the risk of child poverty which is why children in London, Wales, and North East etc. are at higher risk of child poverty .
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The risk of child poverty is also higher if an adult of child member of the family may have a disability. Children from minority ethnic groups are also at higher risk of poverty because of inferior socioeconomic status of minority groups on the average. While only 25 percent children in white households live in poverty, the percent rises to 55 percent for Pakistani and Bangladeshi households .
It is clear that child poverty doesn’t result from a single factor but multiple factors. It is important for the government and the general public to understand these factors in order to take corrective measures.
- BARNADO’S. What causes child poverty? [online]. [Accessed 30 March 2014]. Available from World Wide Web:
- CPAG. What causes poverty? [online]. [Accessed 30 March 2014]. Available from World Wide Web:
- CPAG. What causes poverty? [online]. [Accessed 30 March 2014]. Available from World Wide Web:
