Assignment #1 Sociological Observer

The Impact of Poverty

Dennis K. Figueroa
International College of the Cayman Islands
SOC-201: Introduction to Sociology
Instructor: SRah Yisrael

Poverty is an issue that is very prevalent in our society and influences our
life in ways we might not know of. Firstly, I want to define what exactly poverty is to
give a better understanding of the concept. Poverty, as defined by Merriam-Webster
(2016), is the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of
money or material possessions. A definition I obtained from my interview which I
particularly liked was, poverty has to do with financial difficulty and not being able

to meet your needs and to have almost nothing of your wants (J. Smith, personal
communication, November 4, 2016). Poverty is an economic issue that heavily
influences social factors in negative and sometimes even positive ways.
One of the issues that poverty exacerbates is the matter of crime. People who
may not normally steal something or take part in an illicit activity can be tempted to
do so out of desperation. Poverty is such a huge issue because these individuals
may not be able to feed their children and must resort to other means of obtaining
the resources they need. According to the RCIPS Crime Statistics (2016), the most
popular serious crimes committed in the Cayman Islands are robbery and attempted
burglary. These are the only serious crimes that are committed specifically to obtain
monetary value primarily. We can then say that the most popular crimes committed
on our island are as a result of poverty. It is highly unlikely a person would go
through with burglary or robbery if it wasnt specifically to obtain something they
cannot normally obtain.
As mentioned by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in the United States,
Persons in poor households at or below the Federal Poverty Level had more than
double the rate of violent victimization as persons in high-income households
(Harrell, Langton, Berzofsky, Couzens, Smiley-Mcdonald, 2014). Crime as a whole is
just clearly worse when poverty comes into play. This is because people turn to
crime when they have no hope in a brighter future and see no other way out. I could
also see this in John Smith when he mentioned a situation where he wanted to steal
a candy bar and another where he was offered to sell drugs and actually thought
about it (J. Smith, personal communication, November 4, 2016). People tend to go
around the legal system when they are in need of something. There are many that
are tempted by the idea of a better life and eventually give in to this desire. Crime

out of necessity is much more common than crime of malice in the Cayman Islands,
which is apparent in the RCIPS crime statistics mentioned before. Poverty clearly
has a very negative effect on crime and makes the problem worse than it already is.
Another major issue that poverty has a negative effect on is the health of
an individual. According to the American Psychological Association (2016), poverty
is connected with negative conditions like substandard housing, homelessness,
inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to
health care and unsafe neighborhoods. All these factors can directly impact the
health of an individual in our society. The lack of basic needs like shelter and a
decent neighborhood may lead them into unsafe environments that may put their
health and life at risk. This could also potentially expose them to violence which is
not conducive to the positive socialization of the child. Poorer people are just not
able to afford better housing and this can lead to environments with toxins or simply
just violent neighborhoods.
The inadequate nutrition and child care that a young individual receives will
also result in a poorer person not being able to develop as much as they are able to
because they lack essential nutrients. This can have a devastating effect on
someones health. As mentioned by Brooks-Gunn and Duncan (1997), Poverty
status had a statistically significant effect on low birth weight and the neonatal
mortality rate. This is important to note because low birth weight and infant
mortality are important indicators of child health (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan, 1997).
This basically has to do with how healthy the child as at conception and the
likelihood the child will not die in the first few years of life. This coupled with their
research showing that growth stunting was more prevalent among poor than non-

poor children clearly shows that poverty is heavily influential in the health and
development of a child.
Besides solely being a detriment to the development of a child, poverty can
also be crucial to preventing an individual from receiving the health care they need
after they have already developed. This was clear in my interview with John Smith.
He touched on occasions where he was severely sick but would not be able to go to
the hospital because he didnt have insurance (J. Smith, personal communication,
November 4, 2016). The poverty that existed in his life made it impossible for him to
receive the health care he needed because of the fear of not having the monetary
resources to afford the visit and any medication he would need. The lack of access
to health care would mean a number of physiological problems that may never get
fixed or would potentially lead to a number of physiological problems that never get
addressed and can potentially be exacerbated. I remember an occasion where a
severe wound I had got infected because I was not able to afford health care. I was
more scared of the monetary implications of visits to the doctor rather than the
actual physical condition and pain I was in.
Although poverty has a number of physiological implications, it is also a
heavy influence on the mental health and cognitive ability on an individual. As
mentioned by Gupta, de Wit and McKeown (2007), children in low-income families
are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems than other children.
People from low-income families all show an increased rate of indirect aggression,
emotional disorder-anxiety and physical aggression (Gupta, de Wit and
McKeown , 2007). All information points towards the idea that the issue of poverty
has an underlying effect on the mental health of an individual as there is conclusive
evidence of this fact. The research done led them to the conclusion that income

influences the availability and presence of social relationships which could

potentially be the reason behind why poorer people show an inclination towards
these negative behavioral traits (Gupta, de Wit and McKeown , 2007).
The effect that poverty also has over the cognitive ability of an individual is
also extremely significant. This is such an important topic because it can decide
how receptive a person is to the world around them and their achievement options
in the education system. The research conducted by Brooks-Gunn and Duncan
(1997) shows that poorer children are 1.3 times as likely to experience problems
such as learning disabilities and developmental delays. Poorer children also end
up scoring less on standardized testing (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan, 1997). Before a
child even has to deal with the fact that they have limited educational options due
to their lack of financial resources, they are already at a natural disadvantage in
their likelihood of being impaired cognitively.
I would like to touch more on the subject of limited educational options
because I think this is paramount to understanding the monumental effect of
poverty in our society. This is an issue that I have been personally exposed to
unfortunately. Even if someone from a low-income background is successful in their
education even with all the disadvantages they are already at, they must then deal
with the fact that they will not have the same opportunities as people who are not
as poor. These individuals will usually have to remain in the public school system
which is usually of a lower educational standard than the private counterparts. They
also may not necessarily be able to afford the tuition and fees for college even if
they are accepted. This can lead to a cycle of poverty where a person that can
potentially have a brighter future is not actually able to pursue this future because
of lack of funds. During our interview, John Smith emphasized that a scholarship

was mandatory and necessary for him to pursue higher education. He stated that
without this he would have had no future and let down his family (J. Smith,
personal communication, November 4, 2016).

Another issue that I discovered in my interview that was as a result of

poverty is the idea of negative emotions and thoughts as a result of poverty.
According to the American Psychological Association, some problems may include
feelings of anxiety and depression (Effects of Poverty, Hunter and Homelessness
on Children and Youth, n.d.). This was clear in my interview with John Smith where
he mentioned that he would be stressed out constantly about the uncertainty that
the bills would get paid off successfully. He also spoke about how upset he felt when
we would have missed opportunities in life simply because of his socio-economic
status and the envy he felt from people who had a better life than him. All these
negative feelings and emotions would eventually take a toll on the mental health of
a person. (J. Smith, personal communication, November 4, 2016)
Although I have focused primarily on the negative impact poverty has on our
society and on an individual, I do think there is some good that comes from the
issue of poverty. I was able to witness this during my interview with John Smith.
Poverty seems to give some individuals intangible traits like resilience, the ambition
to succeed and a greater appreciation for the minor things in life. John Smith even
remarked that he was glad he had to go through poverty and that it built

character and made him into a resourceful person (J. Smith, personal
communication, November 4, 2016). These being traits he thinks he wouldnt have
been able to obtain if he didnt experience poverty. The experience also taught him
how to efficiently budget his money better while understanding the value of each
dollar (J. Smith, personal communication, November 4, 2016). The difficulties of
poverty are significant and monumental to overcome. However, these difficulties
leave a lasting impact on the individual and a number of intangible benefits that
cannot be measured or recorded. These intangibles are unobtainable elsewhere and
must be obtained through the financial struggle an individual goes through. Poverty
gave John Smith the drive to be successful and a clear goal that gave meaning to
his life (J. Smith, personal communication, November 4, 2016).
The impact and influence that the issue of poverty has on our society is
indisputable and noticeable. This economic dilemma has many negative
implications in everything around us. This ranges from the physiological and mental
health of an individual to the level of crime in a given society. As I saw from my
interview with John Smith, being born into this life can have many negative
ramifications that you have no control over. The amount of monetary resources an
individual has is so important in our capitalistic society that those that do not have
it are at a disadvantage in almost every facet of their life. It can even be a factor in
the likelihood of an individual living or dying. Even through all these negative ideas
that are usually associated with the concept of poverty, there is some good that
arrives from it. Through my experiences, problems and struggle will always build
character and have at least some positive effect on your mentality. It is not all bad
and it can change the way you think entirely. The way in which the issue of poverty
finds itself everywhere in our life makes its impact on our society unparalleled.

References
poverty. 2016. In Merriam-Webster.com.
Retrieved November 4, 2016, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/poverty
Harrell, E., Langton, L., Berzofsky, M., Couzens, L., & Smiley-McDonald, H. (2014,
November 18).
Household Poverty And Nonfatal Violent Victimization, 20082012. Retrieved
November 4, 2016,
from https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5137
Effects of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 4,

2016, from http://www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty.aspx

Brooks-Gunn, J., & Duncan, G. (1997, Fall). The Effects of Poverty on Children.
CHILDREN AND POVERTY,
7(2), 55-71. Retrieved from
https://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/docs/07_02_03.pdf
Gupta, R., De Wit, M., & McKeown, D. (2007, October). The impact of poverty on the
current and future
health status of children. Paediatrics & Child Health, 667-672. Retrieved
November 4, 2016, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528796/

Interview
The following interview was conducted for my research paper on
poverty for my Intro to Sociology class. I choose the topic of poverty specifically
because it has actively been a part of my own life and has influenced who I am as a
person heavily. I also choose it because I am surrounded by people in my social
network that are currently experiencing poverty and would be willing to speak on
the subject. The individual who I will be interviewing is someone who I knew is
currently experiencing financial hardship.

I asked the interviewee where he wanted to be interviewed and we decided

on his house so that he could be in an environment he felt comfortable in and
hopefully be able to give me better responses. I let him know that the topic he was
being interviewed about was poverty and he was fine with this. However, he let me
know that he wanted to remain anonymous because he wanted to be able to be as
honest as possible and he felt that this island was far too small to not be
anonymous. We then decided on the pseudonym John Smith.
We immediately sat down as soon as I arrived and began the interview after
greeting each other. The first question I asked was in regards to his age and where
he was from because I got the feeling he wasnt Caymanian. He then disclosed to
me he was 21 and that he was born in the city of Havana in Cuba. I followed up on
this point and asked him at what age he moved to the Cayman Islands and he
responded with, I arrived at the island when I was around 5 or 6. I let him know I
was not surprised because he had a native Caymanian accent and so had to have
arrived early.
After this I began to ask him about the topic specifically and asked him what
he thought poverty was in his opinion. He then confidently stated, I think poverty
is very relative and theres no real definition for it just because I can think Im poor,
but am I really when compared to starving children in Africa? In my own eyes
though, I think that poverty has to do with financial difficulty and not being able to
meet your needs and to have almost nothing of your wants. I asked him if he could
give an example of what he meant and he said, Like for me personally, it would be
like when my mother has difficulty paying the light bill and how I didnt get a mobile
phone until I was 17. Following this, I asked him if he believed he personally was
poor and he immediately responded with Definitely.

After confirming that he considered himself going through poverty, I then

asked him what struggles or problems he experienced. I could tell this question hit
particular close to home based off his reaction, but he still responded by saying, It
was hard because there were times where we had no idea how we were going to
come up with the money to get the essentials paid off. Sometimes wed need $1000
for the month and my mom would only make $800 for that month. I was scared to
death of some unexpected expense coming out of nowhere on top of the essentials.
There were times were I was severely sick but I wouldnt go to the hospital because
we didnt have insurance. This statement in particular statement really had an
effect on me because I experienced something similar. He had to deal with
whatever ailment he had to make it easier on his mother. He also continued on and
discussed how very little clothing had and felt so embarrassed of the little clothing
he had and how his house was. We then even discussed how they had no car
growing up and he had to walk everywhere and missed out on a lot of opportunities
because he had no transportation. His social status, health, education and even his
potential internships were all at risk because of the poverty he was going through.
After learning about all the struggles he had to go through because of
poverty, I then began to question him if he was ever tempted to do something
illegal because he was tired of struggling. He replied by basically discussing how he
has never done anything criminal or illegal but it has crossed his mind on multiple
occasions. I immediately asked him if he can give me examples of situations where
this happened. He brought up a situation when he was younger and wanted to steal
a candy bar and another one at an older age where he was offered to sell drugs so
that he could make some extra money. On both occasions he did not follow through
and although they may seem radically different, they all were a thought that

crossed his mind of doing because of desperation. I could really tell the amount of
stress this put him through based off of his facial expressions.
Following this, we began to discuss if he had any negative emotions or
thoughts as a result of going through poverty. We had previously focused on
situations and actual problems before, but I wanted to elaborate and how poverty
actually made him feel. We started discussing how he has felt a lot of envy for
people that had a better start than him and at the end of the day could go home to
their own house, would have their own car and would probably have the ability to
attend college overseas. He felt so strongly about this that he stated, People dont
appreciate the simple things like having a house and not having to pay for rent and
not actually own it at the end of the day. Even the ability to study whatever you
enjoy the most is so underrated. I have to specifically study on island for cheaper
tuition and study law because I have to work towards a career that can give me a
brighter economic future so I can help my parents with debt. This point was to
basically imply that his decision to study law was guided more towards his
economic situation rather than a passion for the subject.
After focusing so much on negative questions, I began to notice the interviewee
seemed to be a bit uncomfortable. I could see I had touched a sensitive point of the
discussion and decided to switch the topic and focus on the positive experiences or
things he has learned as a result of poverty. To my surprise, he began to talk about
how he was glad he had to go through poverty. Even with all the complaints he had
on being poorer than those around him, he started saying that it built character and
made him into a resourceful person that appreciated things more. The idea of
having nothing gave him drive and ambition to work harder in school and in the
workplace. He was never complacent as a result and achieved more than he

thought he could. A very impactful sentence in particular from him was, I was
working harder than the kids who had much more than I did because I HAD to. If I
didnt get a scholarship then I would have no future and let down my family. He
also eventually started discussing about how poverty made him into a cheap person
because he understood the value of money more. At this point he started smiling
and remarked on how he even has to stop and think about if he really needs a snack
when hes hungry because he doesnt like spending money. The intangibles things
that poverty gave him were so fundamental to the person he eventually became.
He basically finished the interview by saying that he was happy he is as poor as he
is because it makes him not take anything for granted.

Reflection
The interview as a whole genuinely resonated with me because I also had to go
through a large period of poverty. Although it may not have been just as severe as
his experiences, I had many struggles and problems which also shape who I became
as a person. I honestly think poverty has a huge impact on your life simply because
of much it limits your opportunities. College was also not an option for me if I did
not get several scholarships. This enabled me to value education and school much
more. This is something I found in common with him and I can assume is based off
our similar socio-economic status. No one asks to be poor but we simply have to
deal with the hand were dealt with in life and try out best to be successful in spite
of the limitations.
I had an idea that poverty wouldve made him go through problems and
struggles like it did for me, but I never even imagined that it could also have
affected his health and potentially steer him towards a life of crime. This just goes
to show that everyone has a different experience with poverty and it can even
change our lives in ways we wouldnt think about. It also allows me to theorize that
poverty could potentially be the very reason why some people commit crimes and
steal from others. What if an individual has to put food on the table, but doesnt
have the money to do it? Although I was never tempted to commit a crime because
my situation was not as worse, I can see why one might be tempted. This makes
me think that poverty is one of the fundamental reasons for criminal activity.

I thoroughly enjoyed that we were able to finish the interview on a high note
amid the negative atmosphere. I could see his expression immediately change and
how proud he looked that he did not give in to poverty and let it turn him into
someone he was not. He also looked grateful that he was able to have the ability to
attend Law School and have a brighter future. This goes to show that struggles can
build character and make you into a better person. It also enlightened me on the
fact that we never really appreciate the smaller things in life until we have to go
through the problems caused by poverty.