Key Concepts in Poverty

Some key concepts in poverty, ethnicity and gender Peter Kenway New Policy Institute www.poverty.org.uk The measurement of poverty • Low income is most important measure, as recorded by annual Family Resources Survey • ‘Poverty’: <60% of same year median income • £ per week depends on who’s in household (2005/06): • One adult - £110 (net of tax, housing costs) • Lone parent, two children - £180 (ditto) • Two adults, two children <14 - £260 (ditto) Poverty by gender over time ‘Single’ poverty by gender over time Poverty by gender and family type Poverty rates by ethnicity over time Poverty rates by family type Poverty rates by family work status Poverty by gender and ethnicity Proportion of adults in households with below 60% of median household income AHC 35% Men Women Proportion of adults in households below 60% of median income after deducting housing costs 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% White British Ethnic minorities Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP; UK; the data is the average for 2003/04 to 2005/06 Overall income by ethnicity The record on poverty 1. Gender poverty gap is down (sharply?) on a decade ago 2. Reason is clear – and government is due credit 3. Poverty rates are down for all ethnic groups 4. But the gaps between groups persist 5. Whichever way it’s cut, these gaps are there (about half the gap can be accounted for) The fragility of ‘poverty’ ‘Poverty’ may seem a tempting concept, but: 1. Income inequality is not of itself ‘poverty’ 2. The links to other issues are always delicate 3. Trying to map inherently individual issues to ‘poverty’ can have strange results 4. Trying to get round restriction that ‘poverty’ is a household concept risks everything 5. ‘Poverty’ as measured may actually be result of completely different issue 6. Child poverty strategy is exhausted Remedy? Be concrete/specific as possible