Discrimination and poverty in America has become an issue that we have seen over the years. Many factors play a part in the connection between poverty and discrimination, including but not limited to, social, economic, and political discrimination being both linked to the fabric of the U.S welfare. Resulting in the need of income maintenance and other social programs. Knowing that discrimination leads to poverty, some policymakers have tried to address this never-ending cycle by addressing and attacking discrimination. The definition of discrimination is similar to prejudice, in the way that a negative attitude is taken to an individual of a specific group.
The first of the three concepts of discrimination is the less formal of the three, social discrimination also referred to as normative-cultural. We start off with social discrimination, which is defined as a less formal type of discrimination and is defined as sustained inequality between individuals on the basis of illness, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or any other measures of diversity.we live in a world where even if we may not see that we do discriminate against each other we do. We, as Americans, play a big role in this area. One great example of this would be a teacher of math. Having an Asian student walk in and the teacher thinks that they are going to be fine. Then, out of nowhere, they start to fail the class. One must not just assume that due to their race they are going to be good at something. We must stick to knowing that in order for one to learn they first have to be taught. “Social stigma and discrimination can lead to the transformation of disenfranchised groups into a lower socioeconomic class. Alternatively, as in the case of gays, lesbians, and the aged, social stigma and discrimination can result in social marginalization without triggering statistically observable eco- nomic discrimination.” ( Book pg. 56-57). In earlier time a social “norm” was for men to open doors for women and carrier their larger bags to the down the parking lot and to their vehicles. However, over the years that norm has changed because women became more independent and started proving that they could do things for themselves without the help of a male figure. This then led to the discrimination of the word became to be known as, butch. This individualized the group of women that are mostly independent and lead to their discrimination. This entails that a person of different gender identity than a “norm” has a very high chance of possibly being turned away from a job interview or any other type of financial
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We move on with economic discrimination there are currently several various social inequalities that we all face in our society today. range from different social control to social stratification, to racial/gender inequality. One of the most common causes that we see a lot of is females within what is known as a man’s job. In order words, they are also known as to combat the “glass ceiling” Which refers to the invisible barrier that keeps a woman from taking corporate jobs. So, while you may see a woman who is putting in the same amount of work and dedication to her profession as any man she will only ever make 77 cents to his dollar. Keeping her opportunities from moving up very limited, all due to her simply being a woman. Not only is this discrimination seen with genders but it’s also seen with the type of work that is done by an individual. The amount that a person is paid doing house cleaning indoors, differs to a person doing housework, outdoors. Although they are both doing a “cleaning” job, the economic factor differs between the two because of the types of jobs they do.
Finally, we have the following discrimination, more formal discrimination, political discrimination. This is defined as any discrimination towards individuals based on their political views and/or activities. Law differs from state to state, but the overall goal is to protect individuals from any form of discrimination based on their political view of the workplace. Employees are now given the freedom to have different beliefs and not be discriminated against. However, this can still have a negative impact that may eventually lead to poverty. For example, if a person coming from a background and an upbringing of a Democratic party tries to apply for a job in a Republican area, there is a higher chance that they may not be chosen for the job. Why? Interview questions can provide an understanding of a person thoughts and beliefs and they Republican and Democratic view. Although that should not impact legally on a person's opportunity to obtain the job, it might not be the type of description that the employer is looking for.
Poverty and discrimination are linked together. Poverty is defined as not having basic needs in order to survive. This level of poverty can also be known as absolute and extreme.
Researchers have broken down several theories of poverty. One theory is the Culture of Poverty, which is defined as individuals remaining at the poverty level due to their environment. “ According to this theory, the Culture of Poverty transcends regional, rural/urban, and national differences and everywhere shows striking similarities in family structure, interpersonal relationships, time orientation, value system, and pattern of spending.”(pg 94.). When an individual has progressed out of poverty, it is oftentimes looked at as a culture issue. We as humans seem to follow our surroundings, whether it is from our own family members or our peers.
According to the radical theory elaborated above, a large number of Cameron County residents are categorized as being below the poverty line. Much of those statistics start because of where the individuals reside, being right beside the Mexican border rather than living the suburbs in a high-class city. While it is not easy to obtain a high-paying job in Cameron County, it is even more difficult to obtain a well-paying job further North of the county when they know where the individual originally comes from and the government benefits they may have obtained in their childhood years. Governmental benefits are highly used and very normal to a Cameron County resident because they are highly qualified to receive them, but little do the residents know that it may negatively impact the applicant because of discrimination. Employers may ask on a job application if the applicant has recently been on welfare of another form of public assistance. Usually, these questions on the application sometimes reward employers for hiring from these specific groups, but it would not be unreasonable to say these responses can negatively impact the employer's decision to hire the applicant.
Introducing the NDOB (Non-Disclosure of Benefits) program to Cameron County can positively impact the job seekers and increase the opportunities of becoming employed. Highly similar to the a well-known law, named HIPPA, this program will prohibit employers from obtaining details of the government benefits once obtained by the applicant. The governmental programs and benefits that the individual once used or continues to use should not define the person that they are, much less should it determine the ability of their work ethic. Due that this issue prevents a person from becoming employed and preventing poverty. The NDOB program will be available to any person the Cameron Country area that is currently or have ever previously benefited from public programs, such as but not limited to: Medical benefits (Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP), Food Stamps (SNAP Benefits), Housing and Financial Aid.
The applicant of the NDOB Program will be required to fill out an application and include any previous and current benefits used during their lifetime (if the person is not sure we will help find the information). This will help the program clear the information from being leaked or released to the employer. The program does have several requirements for it to be approved, including currently seeking employment. This is because the main purpose of this program is to prevent the person from being denied employment due to their economic status or previous status. It is not uncommon for an employer to hire someone that is most similar to themselves, rather than someone that thinks differently or is from a different and lower financial group. Other than currently seeking employment, the applicant must attend a 1-year course of informative information psychological on testing thinking. The purpose of the course is to change the mentality of the person because in Cameron County, especially in the older generation, the mentality is not so much on centralized on thinking about the future of themselves, it focuses more on the current moment. This course will coach the applicant on planning for the future and creating a stepping stone to achieve the realistic goals that are set. The applicant will be observed within the year and will be graded based on testing to determine if the individual is ready or honestly capable of having the mentality of wanting to achieve the goals that are set. According to a study, people that are poor have a higher chance of wanting to achieve, fast or any easy way to their goal. Rather than the rich that can withhold themselves and wait for their planned goal to be met. This mentality of the poor mainly takes a roll because their poor are used to having the very minimal and they are not sure how long the offer is going to be there for them. However, if there is a plan in place, the goal will be there for a fact. This different mentality will not only help with their economic position for themselves but it will follow for the rest of their generation and will eventually lead Cameron County out of poverty. Another requirement is
- Stoesz, David, Karger, Jacob, H. American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach, Brief Edition. [Chegg]. Retrieved from https://ereader.chegg.com/#/books/9780205921485/
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