Families and Poverty in Canada

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Questions and Answers

What defines absolute poverty?

A state of temporary unemployment

A condition of mere physical survival (correct)

A condition of low income compared to others

A lifestyle choice of minimalism

Which measure is used in Canada to define relative poverty?

Poverty Threshold Measure (PTM)

Market Basket Measure (MBM)

Basic Needs Indicator (BNI)

Low-Income Measure (LIM) (correct)

What does the 'feminization of poverty' primarily refer to?

The lifestyle changes among affluent women

Increasing education levels among women

The growing number of women in high-paying jobs

The prevalence of single mothers living in poverty (correct)

What major economic event is associated with increasing poverty rates?

Recessions Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is considered most significant in understanding family poverty?

Family composition Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of the Canadian population was living in poverty in 2021?

7.3% Signup and view all the answers

How do transfer payments impact poverty levels?

They provide critical support for low-income families Signup and view all the answers

Which group had the highest poverty rate in Canada in 2019?

Unattached individuals Signup and view all the answers

Which group is NOT typically considered vulnerable to poverty?

Affluent populations Signup and view all the answers

What does deep poverty refer to in the context of Canadian poverty statistics?

Living below the poverty line with minimal income Signup and view all the answers

What term describes the newly emerging group facing poverty despite working?

New working poor Signup and view all the answers

Which statement correctly describes a common misconception about poverty?

Individuals are often blamed for their financial difficulties. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT associated with the negative outcomes of poverty?

Increased social mobility Signup and view all the answers

What is the low-income threshold for a single-adult household as per recent statistics?

$25,252 Signup and view all the answers

Which demographic comprises half of the 1.8 million Canadians living in deep poverty?

Working-age single adults Signup and view all the answers

What is the percentage of children living in poverty in Canada?

17.8% Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Correlates and Coping Strategies of Families Experiencing Poverty in Canada

Canada is a stratified society; some families experience poverty, while others do not.
Definitions and meanings of poverty vary across time and place.
A common misconception is that individuals are solely responsible for their financial difficulties.
Many families, including the working poor, experience poverty despite working jobs at or below the poverty line.
Certain social groups are more vulnerable to poverty than others.
An increasing proportion of families, including middle-class families, are experiencing financial hardship.
Studies link poverty to negative and long-term outcomes across generations of families.

Family Poverty: Key Figures

In 2021, 7.3% of the Canadian population (2,717,615 people) lived in poverty.
This included 621,235 persons in deep poverty (1.7%) and 2,096,390 in shallow poverty (5.7%).
In 2024, the poverty rate is estimated at 7.4%.
In 2019, unattached individuals had the highest poverty rate in Canada, with 26.2% living below the poverty line (with 30.7% for males and 35.6% for females).
17.8% of children in Canada live in poverty
In 2022, 2.1 million people (11.5% of the population) lived in low-income families.
One in five working-age adults lives below the poverty line.
Working-age single adults represent half of those in deep poverty, earning an average of 11,700annually.Thelow−incomethresholdis11,700 annually. The low-income threshold is 11,700annually.Thelow−incomethresholdis25,252 for a single-adult household.

What Poverty Looks Like

Poverty isn't just a lack of wealth; it's an unequal distribution of resources.
Poverty in Canada is a significant social concern with hardship in everyday life.
Poverty in Canada is the state or condition where a person or household lacks essential resources (financial or otherwise) to maintain a modest standard of living in their community.

Measuring Poverty

Absolute poverty: a condition of mere physical survival.
Market Basket Measure (MBM): a measure that StatsCan uses to meet basic needs (necessities, amenities, nutritious diet) while considering regional differences.
Relative poverty: what is considered poor relative to contemporary social standards for normal and wealthy people.
Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) and Low-Income Measure (LIM): factors in the percentage of income spent on basic necessities, relative to changing incomes of the population.

Why Are Some Families Poorer Than Others?

Socioeconomic factors (e.g., demographics, economic events, political events, government transfer payments) are crucial to understand the origins of poverty in systems and structures.
Family structure, including age, gender, lone-parent families versus two or more income earners, and the feminization of poverty (single mothers and low income) play a role.

Poverty Later in Life

Low income, family changes, and child poverty are significant factors, but transfer payments and subsidized day care may help.
Is a guaranteed annual income the answer to lessening poverty? Family composition matters most for poverty prevention.

Economic Events

Recessions, pandemics, housing shortages, food insecurity, and deficiencies in measuring poverty based on income alone impact families. There is no perfect connection between income and wealth.
The "new working poor" is an emerging category of poverty.

Political Events

Government transfer payments, neoliberal policies and risk cultures, and political agendas are relevant here.
Problems with measuring poverty, fluctuations in poverty rates, and vulnerabilities among children, racialized communities, immigrants etc.

Coping With Poverty

Community support services, extended family, in-kind contributions, and social networks, (including bartering systems) support low-income families.
Food banks are commonplace, but institutionalized food banks exist with decreasing state aid.
More and more families not relying on welfare, or job loss does not eliminate poverty from the population. The loss of welfare and programs for young families concurrent with increases in food bank usage.

Conclusion

While low-income rates and reliance on social assistance decrease in recent years. Concerns persist for children, recent immigrants, Indigenous people, minorities, and lone-parent families.
Loss of social assistance and programs, concurrent with increases in food bank use, are concerns.
Structural changes are needed to prevent and combat poverty.

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Description

This quiz explores the various correlates and coping strategies of families experiencing poverty in Canada. It examines the definitions of poverty, the misconceptions surrounding it, and highlights the demographic groups most affected. Learn about statistics related to poverty in the Canadian context and its impact over generations.