Blog #9

First of all, I think it is a remarkable statistic that this data shows that the federal poverty level for a family of four needs to be twice the amount in order for them to adequately live. This research data means that not only is the federal poverty level set low thus excluding multitudes of families who should be considered poor but also it shows the need for more resources for these families that are at or below the federal poverty level since they are not able to adequately provide for their families. Specifically for poor working mothers this data means that they are at a great disadvantage in regards to meeting the needs for their families since the majority of them rely solely on their income and are only able to secure the lowest paid jobs. These disadvantages not only affect them but also their children as they face sacrifices in their life.

One such sacrifice is that they are not covered by health insurance at a higher rate than non-poor children. This lack of health insurance impedes on their health which is important at such a young age as ailments that are not treated can affect them for the rest of their lives causing more hardship. It is also important for them to have health care because the mother’s of these children largely are not able to provide adequate living conditions which causes them to have a higher rate of health issues.

It is also important to notice that immigrant parents are more likely to be poor and thus have children in poor households than non-immigrant parents as well is true for minority parents verses white parents. This data was backed by Chaudry’s sample of poor working mothers as all of them were minorities and talked about their lives in communities filled with minorities. This raises the question about how much race plays into a parents ability to provide for their child and why so many minorities are stuck in poverty in this country.