Poverty is emotionally, financially, and mentally devastating. People living in poverty lack the necessary resources to live a healthy, fulfilling life. It doesn’t help that society is often against impoverished people due to harmful misconceptions about what poverty really is. Here are 18 myths about poverty that most people believe but shouldn’t.
Impoverished People Don’t Work
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It’s an age-old misconception that people in poverty don’t work and, therefore, are responsible for their situations. The Institute for Fiscal Studies reports that the majority of poorer people live in a household where someone is working. The problem isn’t that they don’t work; it’s that they aren’t paid enough to escape poverty.
College is the Answer
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College is expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars for a few years of education. A degree can open doors in the career world, but it doesn’t guarantee a high-paying job. That’s why it’s a myth that college is the answer to poverty. People risk struggling more by getting into debt.
Single Parents are to Blame
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Single parents are regularly maligned by society, and it’s completely unfair. Most people don’t become single parents because they think it’s the best option; they do it because they have no other choice. Single parents are turned into scapegoats when society actually makes it harder for them to break the poverty cycle.
The Government Isn’t Responsible
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If anyone deserves to be blamed for the horrific poverty levels in a country, it’s that country’s government. Poverty is ultimately political because the government is responsible for broken economic systems, inflation, and the erosion of essential resources. How can people escape poverty when politicians take no blame for causing it?
People in Poverty are All Thin
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When most people think of poverty, they imagine utter starvation. However, most impoverished people are able to access some foods, but not enough to maintain a balanced diet. Cheaper foods are often unhealthy, which results in some people in poverty becoming overweight. This makes others incorrectly think they can’t be poor if they aren’t thin.
Only Third-World Countries Have Poverty
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Many people ignorantly believe that only third-world countries have poverty, which is incredibly dangerous. The United States Census Bureau has found that 37.9 million Americans live in poverty despite living in a first-world country. Most people don’t know enough about poverty to notice it right in front of them.
Poverty Means No Luxuries
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Though they need empathy, impoverished people frequently receive contempt. People accuse them of lying about their financial struggles if they have any luxuries, even cheap ones. They think poorer people should survive on the absolute basics to work their way out of poverty and experience no quality of life.
Poor People Only Want Benefits
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People who struggle to afford necessities can claim government benefits to help them buy things like food and clothes. These important welfare programs have spawned the cruel myth that people deliberately stay poor to keep claiming benefits. People who know true poverty want to escape, but they need help to get there.
Impoverished People are Homeless
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Homelessness is a significant crisis in the US, with over 600,000 people estimated to be living on the streets. However, not every impoverished person is homeless, despite what most people believe. This misconception has made it difficult for impoverished people who have homes to be taken seriously.
Poor People Make Bad Choices
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It’s easy to believe malicious myths about people who are living in poverty when you’re doing well. Too many people wrongly claim people end up in poverty because they make bad choices, like not going to college, wasting their money, or having too many children. Most of the time, these accusations are unfounded.
People in Poverty are Lazy
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It’s cruel, unhelpful, and untrue to accuse impoverished people of being lazy. Not only does it shield the government from any blame, but it also denigrates their attempts to get out of poverty. HuffPost observes that scapegoating poorer people for being ‘lazy’ masks the real issue: unequal and inefficient public policies.
More Jobs are the Answer
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While creating more jobs to lower unemployment levels will help, it isn’t the miraculous answer to poverty. Many people living in poverty now already have jobs, but they aren’t paid well enough to afford all the necessities they need. Some also work multiple jobs or freelance and still struggle.
Poverty Has a Specific Look
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We frequently judge people by their appearances, but this has led to the misconception that people have to look a certain way to be genuinely impoverished. Stereotypes usually include having unruly hair, dirty skin, and unkempt clothes. This implies that people living in poverty can’t care for themselves and must cater to stereotypes.
Poverty Tests Character
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Living in poverty is extremely difficult, and people do whatever they can to get out of it. The myth that poverty tests character is dangerous because it implies poverty is a good thing and that people are happy being poor. It’s offensive to romanticize poverty if you’ve never experienced how terrible it is.
Hard Work is All it Takes
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Hard work is crucial when it comes to getting ahead in life, but it’s definitely not as simple as that. It’s a complete myth that hard work is all it takes to escape poverty because the cycle is insidious, and sometimes, no matter how hard you work, you still need more help to break out.
Middle-Class People Can’t Become Poor
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It’s easy to believe you’ll never become poor if you’ve always been middle-class, but poverty can happen to anyone. CNBC reports that 70% of Americans consider themselves middle-class, but this isn’t true because money isn’t all that defines social class. This cultural ignorance puts more people at risk of poverty.
Poor People Take Drugs
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Another offensive myth is the belief that poorer people all take drugs. This is another way for society to blame people for being in poverty and tarnish their public reputations. While it’s true that some impoverished people find solace in destructive habits like taking drugs, it’s absolutely not true for everyone.
Poverty is Inescapable
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It’s very hard to get out of poverty, but it’s not inescapable. Despite the lack of governmental intervention and societal empathy, people can escape poverty and lead more fulfilling lives. If more support and resources are made available, the future will be brighter for all impoverished people.
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