SOSC 103DSocial Inequality in HK

Lecture 16: Causes of Poverty

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Poor people in Hong Kong Unemployed people (long-term)

Aged people, Single parents, and

Those who suffer from chronic illness

The working poor Unskilled labour, Contract workers

Offspring of the existing poor

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Causes of Poverty (I) Individual side of poverty

Unfortunate group• Chronic illness: losing ability to

work• Old age: losing job and lacking

family support• Social isolation: e.g. single parents

Unemployment• especially long-term unemployment

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Causes of Poverty (II)

Culture of Poverty Intergenerational continuities Transferring deprivation within

families E.g. poor parenting; ‘bad’

personalities (e.g. laziness, low aspirations and ambitions)

Criticism: blaming the victims

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Causes of Poverty (III) Institutional side of poverty

Structure of employment• One’s class situation in the

occupational structure determine the probability of becoming poor

• Income, job security, contract

Social and economic changes• Deindustrialization• Market value of the skills acquired

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Causes of Poverty (III)

Institutional side of poverty (cont’) Structure of inequality

- Power relations between the rich and the poor

- The role of laws and legislations

Social membership- Inequalities in social resources (e.g.

social support network and access to information)

- Discrimination and exclusion

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Social attitudes in Hong Kong

Reasons for HK people being poor (%) Disagree Ave. Agree DK

They do not work hard 48.0 15.0 32.1 4.9

They do not have ambition 44.5 16.6 28.2 10.7

Their IQ is low 66.4 9.8 16.2 7.6

They do not have talent 51.7 13.9 28.5 6.0

Their educational level is low 24.0 13.9 57.3 4.8

Their skills cannot keep up with social change 18.9 13.5 62.2 5.4

HK cannot offer them jobs 46.3 11.5 37.1 5.2

The present situation of HK does not allow 32.5 10.9 47.0 9.6them to run small business

The jobs they can find are all temporary jobs 17.8 12.8 62.0 7.5

The jobs they can find are low paid jobs 6.7 6.7 81.7 4.8

Social welfare in HK cannot meet their demands 33.7 15.1 43.7 7.5

HK society discriminates against them 56.4 13.6 22.5 7.5

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Perception of the poor The importance of both individual and

institutional factors of poverty Individual factors of poverty are not purely

individual, but underpinned by social change

Clear idea on/ fine distinction in the effects of “institutional” side of poverty in HK

The inadequacies of social welfare in HK

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Causes of Long-term Poverty

Solution to Poverty (welfare?)

Ways to avoid Long-term and Intergenerational Poverty

There are two main perspectives: conservative view & liberal view

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Conservative view Poor people and their children are

trapped by welfare

Welfare programs create dependency

Passing on the ‘wrong’ attitudes to successive generations

Welfare = the cause of long-term poverty/ dependency

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Liberal view Poor people and their children are

trapped by poverty (lack of employment)

Education and training programs

Creation of work

Reunite the poor with the rest of society

Welfare = transitional financial support

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Readings:

Gottschalk, P., et al. (2001) “The Dynamics and Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty and Welfare Participation,” in David Grusky (ed.) Social Stratification: Class, Race and Gender in Sociological Perspective (2/e)