SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES ON POVERTY STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONAL THEORY Optimistic view about the existence of poverty in the society The

he poor should aim high and engage in activities that would help them improve their way of life CONFLICT THEORY The bourgeoisie (rich) dominates the businesses while the proletariat (poor) serve as the workers The wealth of the rich are brought to them by the hard work of the poor, and as a result, the rich continues to exploit the poor to earn more Most lawmakers are members of the capitalist class, and most of their legislations are made to protect their businesses and increase their profits SYMBOLIC INTERACTION THEORY Poverty can be associated with symbols and actions like laziness, irresponsibility, lacking in intellectual and physical abilities Poverty is tantamount to voicelessness, humiliation, dependency, and powerlessness Individuals who have wealth are commonly attributed as intellectuals, responsible, industrious

CULTURE OF POVERTY THEORY The poor are economically and emotionally dependent, marginalized, and socially excluded in the society This ideas is considered as a culture because it can be passed on to the next generation DEPENDENCY THEORY Poverty is rooted from the dependency of a less developed country to a highly industrialized country Rich countries need raw materials which they could get from the resources of poor countries Poor countries, on the other hand, need investors in order to improve their economy Later on, foreign companies will abuse the resources and enjoy the cheap labor and tax incentives given to them by the poor countries EVOLUTIONARY THEORY Survival of the fittest; the poor werent able to survive the challenges of life, thus resulting in poverty CAPITALIST THEORY The capitalists will do everything in their power to increase their production and income, even if the welfare of the poor will be compromised

INTERNATIONAL MEASURES OF POVERTY POVERTY THRESHOLDS - WORLD BANK $1 per day for developing countries, $2 per day in Latin America, $4 in Eastern Europe and $14.40 per day in highly developed countries MINIMUM CALORIE REQUIREMENTS - WHO A family is considered poor if it does not met 80 percent of the minimum calorie requirements HOUSEHOLD INCOMES - NATIONAL STATISTICS COORDINATION BOARD (PHILIPPINES) A Filipino worker must earn at least P13,113 per month, wherein P8,734 should be allotted for food while the remaining balance should be distributed to the other basic needs This minimum monthly wage can be affected by other variables, depending on the situation HUMAN POVERTY INDEX - UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Three factors must be considered: deprivation of knowledge; deprivation of long and healthy life; and deprivation of decent living standards

EDUCATION, GENDER, FAMILY STRUCTURES AND POVERTY Education - having a higher educational attainment will save you from the harmful claws of poverty Gender - more women and matriarchal families live in the poverty line because of economic discrimination Family Structure - matriarchal and broken families are vulnerable to experience poverty ANTI-POVERTY PROGRAMS AND POLICIES IN THE PHILIPPINES MILLENIUM DECLARATION - United Nations MEDIUM TERM DEVELOPMENT PLAN - FP GMA ACCELERATED HUNGER MITIGATION PLAN - FP GMA KAPIT BISIG LABAN SA KAHIRAPAN - FP GMA LINGAP PARA SA MAHIHIRAP PROGRAM FUND - FP JEE SOCIAL REFORM AGENDA - FP FVR