Brady Michelow

Professor Campbell

UWRT 1104

April 26, 2019

Generational Poverty: Is the Lack of Education to Blame?

I have always had sympathy for those who are in poverty. I want to help them in any way

possible. Going on mission trips to the rural part of Jamaica really opened my eyes. I went there

for the first time in 2016 with my dad. Then I went the following two years as well. Our group

went to a town in a valley known as Harmons, Jamaica. I saw people carrying buckets of water

on their heads, houses as big as my living room, and some houses had tarps as roofs. Throughout

my three trips, I have noticed they are in poverty because of one key factor. The lack of

education. Harmons has one school and it goes through eighth grade. You must take a taxi to

high school if you want higher education. The ride to the school is very expensive, and most

families do not have the money to send their children to school. Therefore, the child does work

around the house and the cycle of poverty starts over again with their generation.

I want to stop the cycle of generational poverty. It starts with baby steps and can grow

into something huge. Right now, my family and I are sponsoring a girl we met in Harmons to go

to high school. Many other families that I know sponsor children to attend high school and

maybe college. It is a great program to be involved in. My family and I have recently been

fostering a seven year old girl named Cailee. She grew up in poverty throughout her first couple

years of her life. We now have been blessed enough to foster her and help in any way possible.

We enrolled her in the same elementary school as my little sister. Education is a key component
when trying to break out of the cycle of poverty. The greatest factor in generational poverty is

the lack of education.

Generational poverty is a global issue, and can be defined as, “families where at least two

generations have been born into poverty.” People have many different opinions on what the

biggest factor contributing to generational poverty is. Some of the ones I see the most include:

lack of capital, lack of employment, and terrible wages. These do contribute to generational

poverty on a global scale; however, the lack of education is the base of all these problems.

Having a good education would allow you to become employed. Then, you would be able to

obtain a better job because of the education you received. After that, you would have access to

more capital. The steps above show how someone would be able to escape generational poverty

if they had a good education.

People tend to believe the lack of capital is the root cause of generational poverty. Kate

Bird is one of the people who believes this. She is a micro-economist who specializes in poverty,

and works for the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). She wrote a paper on intergenerational

transmission of poverty and states, “The factors influencing an individual’s likelihood of being

poor include both the ‘private’

transmission (or lack of transmission) of capital and the ‘public’ transfer (or lack of transfer) of

resources from one generation to the next.” While it is a factor, it is not the greatest factor.

Capital is defined as, “wealth in the form of money or assets, taken as a sign of the financial

strength of an individual, organization, or nation, and assumed to be available for development

or investment.” Yes, the lack of capital plays a huge role in generational poverty. However, that

is only caused by a lack of education. About 39 percent of the poor worldwide have no form of
education at all. This means that they never even attended elementary school. If you have no

form of education, then it will be difficult to find employment to gain capital. This is why the

lack of capital is not the root cause of generational poverty. It is merely a branch off the tree of

generational poverty. (Deleted last sentence because it was repetitive)

Others are inclined to say the lack of employment in a country, state, city, or town is the

root cause of generational poverty. In an article written by Zachary J. McDade and Austin

Nichols, both whom are writers for the Urban Institute, write, “this relationship between growing

long-term unemployment and poverty runs both ways, where poverty can reinforce joblessness

just like joblessness can increase poverty.” While it is a two-way street, having an education

would help alleviate unemployment and poverty. About 40.6 million Americans were living in

poverty in 2016. Of those 40.6 million, 56 percent were working adults. Over half the Americans

living in poverty are also working. This leads me to believe they are employed at jobs that pay

close to minimum wage. The poverty line in the United States is different for many people.

According to the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), it is based on how

many people are in your household. The more people in your household, the higher the poverty

line goes. For example, the poverty line for a family of four is 25,100 dollars. Whereas, the

poverty line for a family of seven is 38,060 dollars. As of 2018, the world unemployment rate is

about 5.5 percent. The employment rate around the globe is not that high nowadays. Almost

everyone is working. Then how is it that 3 billion people still live in poverty worldwide? They

do not have a good education. A family in poverty can barely afford to put a roof over their

heads. They cannot afford to put their children through school either. Therefore, the cycle of
poverty will end up starting over. Receiving a good education will allow you to obtain a job and

break out of generational poverty.

Finally, there are other people who believe that terrible wages are the cause of

generational poverty. They assume that if you just raise the wages, then everyone would escape

generational poverty. Gwyn Topham is a writer for ​The Guardian.​ In an article he wrote, he says,

“Painting a picture of huge numbers trapped on low wages, the foundation said during the decade

only a fifth of low-paid workers managed to move to better paid jobs.” The foundation he is

referring to is the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. This foundation is an independent foundation

working to solve poverty in the United Kingdom. If the people in poverty were to be educated,

then they could obtain much better employment. A good paying job allows you not to stress

about money, not live paycheck to paycheck, and can afford to take care of your family/kids.

Most of the jobs that provide those things for you have a salary above the poverty line. Only a

fifth of them were able to gain a new, better paying job. Nearly three billion people worldwide

live off less the $2.50 per day, while around 1.3 billion people live on less than $1.25 per day.

The wages are very low for some people, but they do not have the same education as others.

Education is the key to success around the globe to escaping the cycle of poverty.

Having a great education seems to be what is needed in today’s world if you want a good

job. Not having that education leads to generational poverty. Around 260 million kids do not go

to school worldwide. School is the greatest avenue for kids to learn how to read/write, how to do

math, and what is right from wrong. We develop skills in school that are used in the workforce.

With little to no education, your options on what to do with your life are very limited. However,
the higher your education, the more options you have. If you do not have that higher education,

then you are stuck in the cycle of poverty.

There are different levels of education that someone can get. There is the higher

education at a university, a high school education, a middle school education, and an elementary

school education. According to the Global Partnership for Education, “171 million people could

be lifted out of extreme poverty if all children left school with basic reading skills. That’s

equivalent to a 12% drop in the world total.” Basic reading skills are learned by the time a child

goes into middle school. Your chances of finding a well paying job increases as your education

increases. For example, 2.1 percent of college graduates are unemployed. Whereas, 4.3 percent

of high school graduates are unemployed. Education also will increase the earnings of an

individual. For each additional year of school, a person can expect to earn 10 percent more. This

shows that the more schooling you have, the more money you will earn. However, not everyone

can afford that extra year of schooling for their children. Most families have more than one kid

and can only afford for one, or none, of them to go to school. This is why organizations have

developed sponsorships for kids in lower income families. Won by One to Jamaica allows people

to sponsor kids in Jamaica to attend middle and high school. The sponsors help pay for their

transportation, and also materials needed for schooling. The sponsor kids must maintain good

grades throughout school to continue to be sponsored. Many other organizations do this, and it is

a great way for kids to obtain higher education.

Servaas van der Berg is a South African National Research Chair in the Economics of

Social Policy at the University of Stellenbosch. He is a professor of economics and believes that

the lack of education is the root cause of poverty and generational poverty. Seervas van der Berg
wrote a book called ​Poverty and Education.​ In this book, he says, “better educated people have a

greater probability of being employed, are economically more productive, and therefore earn

higher incomes.” All of what he says in this statement is true regarding education and poverty.

Education allows you to be employed, and that leads to more opportunities. Better yet, it will be

the key to escaping the grasp of generational poverty. If one generation within a family becomes

educated, then the next generations chances of not being in poverty increases exponentially. This

is due to the fact that if the parents are educated and have a stable job, then they can afford to

send their kids to school to educate them. That cycle will repeat throughout generations, and that

is a much better cycle than the cycle of poverty.

There are some ways to alleviate the likes of generational poverty around the globe. I do

believe that generational poverty can be ended eventually. It is going to take a lot of work and

people will need to come together to end it. There are many organizations trying to do everything

in their power to end it. The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), the Habitat for

Humanity, One by Won to Jamaica, and the Center for Poverty research are all in efforts in

trying to end poverty. There are many more organizations included in that effort. The one

organization that stands out to me the most that is not listed above is the Annie E. Casey

Foundation (AECF). This organization is trying to stop generational poverty within two

generations. They are doing this while allowing parents to register with the career-development

center to develop their job skills while the kids get free education through pre-K. So instead of

taking care of the kids, the parents will be trying to get a job while their kid gets free education.

This foundation is just one example of what people are trying to do to stop the cycle of poverty,

and how they are doing it.

 The career-development centers by the Annie E. Casey Foundation are used all over the

United States. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, they help people nationally to get a

job. Their website says, “Throughout the nation, the Integrated Basic Education and Skills

Training program equips individuals with the literacy, work and life skills they need to earn

credentials and get to work.” The career-development centers help you in many ways. They

assist in career advancement, finding a career, professionalism, communication skills, making

connections, and so forth. The services of the career-development center are a great way for

parents to develop their working skills.

Another way we can help eliminate poverty is by raising awareness around the globe. We

have the world at our fingertips (the internet), and some people are still unaware of generational

poverty. People just assume that we can never get rid of poverty. However, anything is possible

and it will take time, different strategies, and hard work. More people will join the force to fight

against poverty if we reach out and tell people about it. Everyone assumes impoverished people

need medicine, shelter, water, food, clothes, and money. While all that may be true, having a

good education can help them obtain all those necessities. Most everyone is aware of poverty

around the world, but not everyone knows the lack of education is the greatest factor.

Some people assume donating enough money will alleviate poverty. While donating

money helps, it will not get rid of poverty completely. During my three trips to the rural part of

Jamaica, I came to find out that people become reliant when all they get are donations. They

become dependent on people to give them clothes, food, money, and shelter. Won by One to

Jamaica has built a store in Harmons, Jamaica. This store is full of donations from people when
they come to Jamaica. However, Won by One makes people pay for the items they pick out. It

does not cost much at all, but it makes the Jamaicans work for what they get.

In conclusion, the lack of education is the biggest factor when it comes to generational

poverty. There are many other factors that contribute to generational poverty. Some people

believe that terrible wages, unemployment, and the lack of capital are the greatest factors.

However, the lack of education is the base for all of these problems. Having a good education is

one way to help alleviate those issues. Many people are working to eliminate generational

poverty. The Annie E. Foundation and Seervas van der Berg are two great examples of an

organization, or one person, doing their best to stop generational poverty. Both of them talk

about how education and generational poverty go hand in hand. The Annie E. Foundation

provide career-development centers nationally around the United States. These are very helpful

for parents with kids. There need to be more career-development centers around the world if we

want to alleviate generational poverty while providing education for kids. We need to raise

awareness using social media platforms to tell people about generational poverty and the lack of

education. The percentage of global poverty would decline dramatically if more people joined

the fight against poverty. No amount of money could ever eliminate poverty. We do not want

people in poverty to become dependent on other people. The cycle of poverty is vicious, and its

main cause is the lack of education. Roughly 39 percent of people in poverty do not have an

education. Poverty rates could decrease by 12 percent if kids left schooling with basic reading

skills. We need better education worldwide for children, and generational poverty can be

eliminated for good.

 Works Cited

Bird, Kate. “The Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty: An Overview.” ​Overseas

Development Institute,​ Dec. 2007,

https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/885.pdf​ Web.

Apr 1, 2019.

Nichols, Austin, and Zachary J. McDade. “Long-Term Unemployment and Poverty Produce a

Vicious Cycle.” ​Urban Institute,​ 10 Oct. 2016,

https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/long-term-unemployment-and-poverty-produce-vicious-cycle

Web. Apr 1, 2019

Topham, Gwyn. “Record Numbers of Working Families in Poverty Due to Low-Paid Jobs.” ​The

Guardian,​ Guardian News and Media, 24 Nov. 2014,

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/24/record-numbers-working-families-poverty-jo

seph-rowntree-foundation​ Web. Apr 1, 2019.

Wagmiller, Robert L, and Robert M Adelman. “Childhood and Intergenerational Poverty The

Long-Term Consequences of Growing Up Poor.” ​NCCP,​ The Trustees of Columbia University

in the City of New York, 30 Nov. 2009, ​http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_909.html​ Web.

Apr 1, 2019.

Berg, Servaas van der. “Poverty and Education.”​ Education Policy Series​, The International

Institute for Educational Planning, 2008, France,

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.464.9607&rep=rep1&type=pdf​ Web.

Apr 2, 2019.

Casey, Annie E. “AECF.” ​The Annie E. Casey Foundation,​ 2019, ​https://www.aecf.org/​ Web.

Apr 2, 2019.