Families in Poverty in the 1990s: Trends, Causes, Consequences, and Lessons Learned

Abstract

ࡗ Families in Poverty in the 1990s: Trends, Causes, Consequences, and Lessons Learned During the 1990s, poverty rates in the United States remained relatively stable despite a robust economy in which unemployment and inflation were at their lowest points in many years. Approximately 13% of individuals, 11% of families, and 19% of children lived below the poverty line in 1998, a decline of only 1% or less for each of these categories since 1990. These high rates of poverty result in many severe consequences. This essay reviews the research and theoretical and conceptual developments during the past decade, including: (a) a background on how the poverty line was developed; (b) general research themes in the 1990s; (c) the causes of the virtually unchanged poverty rate; (d) the consequences of poverty, particularly for children; and (e) the lessons we have learned from research over the past decade, with some directions for the future.

Targeting, Universalism, and Single-Mother Poverty: A Multilevel Analysis Across 18 Affluent Democracies

“…An interdisciplinary literature shows a strong association between single motherhood and children's, women's and overall poverty (Ananat and Michaels 2008;Bianchi 1999;Rank 2005;Seccombe 2000;Thomas and Sawhill 2002). Single mothers are particularly vulnerable because of their typically lower wages, lack of spousal support, and the burdens of raising children (Sorensen 1994;Seccombe 2000).…”

“…An interdisciplinary literature shows a strong association between single motherhood and children's, women's and overall poverty (Ananat and Michaels 2008;Bianchi 1999;Rank 2005;Seccombe 2000;Thomas and Sawhill 2002). Single mothers are particularly vulnerable because of their typically lower wages, lack of spousal support, and the burdens of raising children (Sorensen 1994;Seccombe 2000). In turn, single motherhood is regarded as a key mechanism in the reproduction of poverty and inequality (Edin and Lein 1997;Lichter et al 2006;Martin 2006;McLanahan and Percheski 2008;Musick and Mare 2006).…”

L’acquisition du vocabulaire chez les jeunes enfants au Québec : le rôle de l’environnement familial et économique

“…Les résultats obtenus vont dans le sens des nombreux travaux qui ont montré un lien significatif entre la précarité économique et le développe-ment cognitif des enfants, et cela, même lorsqu'on tient compte d'un ensemble de variables (Duncan et Brooks-Gunn, 1997;Seccombe, 2000;Bruniaux et Galtier, 2003). On constate tout d'abord que les enfants ayant connu une situation de faible revenu uniquement dans les mois entourant la naissance ne se distinguent pas de ceux qui n'ont jamais connu de telles conditions.…”

Polygyny, Child Education, Health and Labour: Theory and Evidence from Mali

“…It is therefore not surprising that the average income per person in polygynous families is less than that in monogamous families. Low income is usually associated with unhappiness, low education for children (Conger et al, 1997;Duncan et al, 1998), parental intolerance (Elder Jr et al, 1995;Duncan & Brooks-Gunn, 2000), health problems in children (Bradley et al, 1994;Hanson et al, 1996;Seccombe, 2000) and depression in children (Takeuchi et al, 1991).…”