Blog #8

One problem that is of great concern to the poor working mothers in the middle of “urban poverty” is the fear of crime in their neighborhood that might affect them and their children. The mothers are scared to let their children play outside alone because they fear that they might somehow get involved in the massive amount of crime in their area either as a bystander or as an active participant. In the poverty stricken areas that make up the neighborhoods that these mothers are stuck in, crime is an everyday occurrence that results in many deaths and incarcerations which has a negative effect on the community as a whole because it keeps the people in fear every day. It also causes an increase in single mother households as the rate of male incarceration is higher due to the drug trade which is an added pressure on these mother’s for they have no male support. In mixed income neighborhoods crime is still a problem but it is not as prevalent as there is more of a police presence and action taken against crime due to the different levels of income and their effectiveness to receive the proper help and resources from the police. Poor working mothers in these neighborhoods are able to benefit from the stronger police presence and neighborhood action against crime which helps to lessen their worry and allow their children to benefit from the safer community. Along with the presence of higher incomes comes the added resources to stop crime such as neighborhood watches and community programs that allow for the children to have a safe, constructive environment to hang out in instead of the streets.

Another problem that the poor working mothers must face due to “urban poverty” is the relocation of the middle class and the presence of affluence in their neighborhood. This causes them to become even more distanced from the realization of better conditions for themselves and their families because they no longer have constant reminders of better life conditions. The presence of those that are able to provide a better quality of life gives the poor working mothers a standard to strive for because they are able to see that it is possible for them to get out of the cycle of poverty thus it gives them hope and the ability to continue on their path of self betterment. Being surrounded by those who are worse off than they are only helps the mother’s to feel more hopeless in their situation and they are unable to receive the encouragement and advice that they need to get out of poverty. This also helps to further isolate them from the outside world as their only interactions are those that are inside their community of poverty. This isolation does not allow them to fully take advantage of the resources that can help them because they are unaware of the world outside of their neighborhood. There is little drive to go into the neighborhoods of the “urban poverty” and help its people because of the stigma that all who live in there like and prefer the life they lead with little motivation to change it. Mothers in mixed income neighborhoods are able to see on a daily basis that there is life outside of poverty and that that life is achievable and preferable to the life they are leading. Seeing people of different income levels that are not only above but also below them gives the mothers a gauge of how well they are doing and whether they are succeeding in their drive to provide a better life. Living in a mixed income neighborhood also provides them the ability to interact with different people and resources that can aid them in their times of struggle since community programs to help the working poor are more available in such communities since they are seen as being wanted.

These and other problems that hinder the poor working mothers in “urban poverty” communities also help to increase their concern and worry over their children’s outcome that they feel they have little control over since the community life is so entrenched in their everyday dealings. They do not want their children to grow up the way they did such as dropping out of school or getting pregnant at a very early age but if that is the only life that their children see and experience it makes it hard for the mothers to lead them in a new direction. The mothers work harder and longer in order to provide more for their children which in turn gives them less time with their children to shape their development the way that they want to. Poor working mothers in mixed income communities are able to provide their children with a more diverse outlook on life and the different directions that they can chose. Their children are able to see affluence and destitution allowing for the mothers to give them guidance to follow the path of affluence instead of poverty. The neighborhood brings the mothers and their children a sense of hope as they are not constantly surrounded just by poverty but also by better ways of life that seem achievable and something real they can strive towards.