The U.S. Is Losing a Generation to Poverty

     One in five children under age 18, or 21.3%, are living in poverty in the United States, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The incidence of poverty rates varies widely across the population according to age, education, labor force attachment, family living arrangements, and area of residence, among other factors. Kids with single headed mothers are more prone to poverty because these mothers need to support their children. “In 2012, a child living in a single female-headed family was well over four times more likely to be poor than a child living in a married-couple family. In 2012, among all children living in single female-headed families, 47.2 % were poor.”

Today, as civil society, governments and communities come together in a call to action on World Food Day (WFD), the GHI is a reminder that efforts are needed tackle the causes of malnutrition. The focus of WFD this year is on “feeding the world, caring for the earth”. It highlights significant role of family farming in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition.

More and more Americans have jobs since the economy started to rebound. But many of them are still poor. The 1990s were a time when employment was high, and we could cut welfare rolls and push people into work. The 2000s and 2010s, though, have been characterized by crappy jobs with paltry pay, and by a government ever more reluctant to spend any of its tax dollars on people at the bottom end of the income ladder. We’re losing decades, and a generation. Families that have kids are generally doing better than couples in a relationship and or childless. But still the numbers are insane the amount that are in poverty.

(blog post 1 of Q2)