Transcript Socio and Economic Factors

Economic diversity
Activity
• Compare your lifestyle with the
lifestyle of the Beckhams. What
differences might there be and why?
Socio-economic factors
• The amount of income you have can
affect many aspects of your social life
and your health e.g.
Housing and area you live in
School / education
Diet
Holidays and hobbies
Medical treatment
Support such as childcare, care for
elderly
Poverty
• There are two ways of looking at
poverty: ‘Absolute poverty’ and ‘Relative
Poverty’
• Absolute poverty is not having enough
money to meet basic needs such as food,
water, shelter
• Relative poverty is used to describe
people who are poor in relation to
others e.g. those living on less than 50%
of the median income
Absolute Poverty
• A quarter of children around the world live in
•
•
absolute poverty. Poor children are more
likely to die early or suffer from disease,
hunger and malnutrition.
They have less chance of living in adequate
housing and getting access to basic services
like healthcare and education, and they're
more likely to suffer from social
discrimination and exclusion.
(www.savethechildren.uk)
Relative Poverty
There is no official definition of poverty,
but the two that are often used are:
1.Claiming the benefit of income support
usually because of unemployment.
2.Having an income of less than 50% of
the national average income after
housing costs are met.
Key Facts
• The proportion of children living in poverty has
•
•
•
•
•
doubled in the past generation.
The UK has proportionally more poor children than
most rich countries.
In 1999, the Prime Minister committed to ending
child poverty by 2020.
In 2005, 3.4 million children were living in poverty.
700,000 children have been lifted out of poverty
between 1998 and 2005.
This is a reduction of 17%. The target was 25%.
Source http://www.jrf.org.uk/child-poverty/
Affects of Poverty
Our health is affected by our circumstances. Wellbeing, a sense of control over your life, and optimism
about the future is good for health.
• Low income can make it hard to afford to keep your
house warm or protect yourself and your family from
fire and accidents in the home, such as buying smoke
alarms or replacing faulty wiring.
• Low income, deprivation and social exclusion all
influence smoking levels. It’s harder to stop smoking
when you’re worrying about making ends meet.
• If the nearest supermarket is miles away or the bus
doesn’t go there it can be difficult to buy food that is
cheap and healthy.
• If the street outside your home is busy with traffic
or there are drug dealers in the park it is safer to
keep the children in front of the television than to let
them play outside.
Cycle of Disadvantage
Children can be disadvantaged whatever their ethnic background, religion,
language, social class or gender; but for those who are members of social
or cultural groups which are marginalised by society it is harder to break
out of this cycle (Green, 2002 p64).
Poor housing and
low economic status
Health problems
Limited employment
opportunities
Low educational achievement
Nutrition
Eating habits that are developed in childhood are likely
to be continued in adult life. There are various
conditions which may occur in childhood that are
directly related to poor or unbalanced nutrition:
•
•
•
•
•
Failure to thrive
Dental problems or tooth decay
Obesity
Malnutrition such as anaemia which is due to
insufficient intake of iron etc.
Increased susceptibility to infections.
Activity
• Think about your placement and consider
how much poverty might affect the
children you care for.
• What problems might the setting have if it
is in an area where families live in or near
the poverty line?
• How might you overcome this?