Poverty/Conflict Theory Essay - 68/100 PDF

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Poverty/Conflict Theory Essay - 68/100...

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Assessment 2 (Essay) Eryn Wilson S5228303

Unit: CCJ18 Understanding Social Problems Unit Co-Ordinator: Jaana Haaja Tutor: Lani Due date: 8th of November 2020 @11:55 pm Word Count: 1,400 Words – excluding cover page and reference list

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Economic inequality currently affects 689 billion of people around the world (World Vision, 2020) resulting in poverty, a predominant social problem. As the cost of living and the poverty line increases, academics and civilians alike seek to assist the individuals who are below the poverty line, while sociologists analyze the human behaviours within society by applying sociological theories to determine the cause of the social problem. By firstly, analyzing poverty as a social problem and providing an overview of conflict theory, then looking at poverty through a conflict theory perspective, one will gain an understanding of the direct cause of poverty within Australia.

The term social problem can be defined as a behaviour or condition that has disrupted individuals within society, meaning those individuals can no longer contribute to their society and has been recognized as needing to be addressed to have a successful society (Best, 2019). The concept of poverty is difficult to define as different social groups have differing views as to what constitutes poverty but the agreed-upon definition is an individual or groups of individuals who are in the absence of essential items (food, shelter or clothing) and who lack societal opportunities (education, employment or social relationships) due to financial and or economic disadvantage (Parliament of Australia. 2020). Poverty within Australia is seen as a social problem as certain behaviours or conditions have disrupted in the lives of individuals and sometimes their families. The individuals have been classed as living in poverty can no longer contribute to the growth of their societies due to the lack of financial income, which is considered “wrong” by the members who contribute and seek to correct the problem.

In Australia, an individual is classified as living in poverty if their financial income per week is $457.00 or less for a single adult or $960.00 per week for a couple with children (Goldie & Treloar, 2020). Certain groups within Australia are at a higher risk of poverty than

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others. Unemployed Australians are at the most risk of poverty when compared to other groups, this is due to the lack of financial income being obtained by these individuals. Individuals who obtain government benefits, it can be implied that this is due to individuals not taking into account other household expenses. Indigenous Australians, this is caused by the lack of employment opportunities. The elderly, this is caused by the lack of income and refugees, it can be implied this is caused by the lack of employment opportunities (Parliament of Australia, 2020). The main cause of poverty in Australia is the lack of work opportunities which directly results in financial disadvantage. There are a vast amount of impacts that poverty has on society. In Australia, individuals living in poverty have an economic impact due to the lack of funds being used to support local business, lack of spending, which can have a direct effect of the business owner living below the poverty line (Shelton, 2016).

There are currently 3.24 million (13.6%) people in Australia who are affected by poverty (Davidson et al, 2020). The number of individuals that are affected can be looked at as smaller groups, aiding in understanding the origin of poverty within Australia. In 2018, it was found that among the 3.24 million, 48.1 % of males lived in poverty and 51.9 % of females were living in poverty (Goldie & Saunders, 2018). The age bracket of individuals living in poverty varied between the different age groups presented. The highest age group living in poverty was 25-64-year-olds, with 43.7% and the lowest age group living in poverty was 15-24-year-olds, with 12.2% (Goldie & Saunders, 2018). The poverty rate among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was 31% compared to non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with only 15% (Goldie & Saunders, 2018).

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Conflict theory is a sociological theory which seeks to understand society at a macrolevel approach and focuses on the distribution of wealth, power and resources within society (Watts & Bessant, 2007).

Within conflict theory, there are multiple concepts that the theory is based upon. The concepts are the bourgeoise concept, the proletariate concept, the consciousness and class struggle, the division of labour, the industrial capitalism and the economic structure (McCarthy & Manza, 2015)

German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920) agreed with Marx’s conflict theory and expanded upon it. Weber suggested that in addition to economic inequalities, inequalities of political power and social structure also cause society to result in a state of permanent conflict. Weber noted that different social groups are affected differently with the conflict of resources based on education, race and gender (Sica, 2014).

Division of labour was theorized by Scottish social philosopher, Adam Smith (17231790). Smith proposed that by individuals in society having a different social task, it will allow them to become more productive, excel faster and complete the task sooner (Crossman, 2019). Division of labour from a conflict theory perspective allows the tasks of the proletariat class, which have been set by the bourgeoise class, allows that task to be completed quickly to continue benefiting the bourgeoise class (Crossman, 2019).

Industrial capitalism is an economic system where industry and resources are owned by a few for-profits (Britannica, 2020). From a conflict theory perspective, industrial capitalism allows for higher wealth gain for the bourgeoise class as only one or two

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individuals from that class own the means of production within the industry (Britannica, 2020). Economic structure refers to the system of production, allocation of resources and distribution of goods and services within society (Constantine, 2017). Economic structure from a conflict theory perspective illustrates the classes within society by allowing the bourgeoise to receive higher quality items and leave the rest for the proletariat class (Constantine, 2017). By applying an understanding of the social structure that has been formed due to conflict theory, one will understand the cause of poverty.

German philosopher Karl Marx (1818-1883) developed conflict theory and argued that within society there is a competition for limited resources resulting in a state of permanent conflict (McCarthy & Manza, 2015 ). The resources that are limited are wealth and power. Some individuals within society can obtain more resources than others. In Marx’s view, society is divided into two economic classes: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat classes (Watts & Bessant, 2007). Conflict theory holds that society is to be thought of as a pyramid. The bourgeoisie, the ruling class, are at the highest point of the pyramid whereas the proletariat, the working class, are at the bottom of the pyramid (Rossel, 2017). Marx suggested that economic institutions are used as tools to maintain inequality between the two classes (Rossel, 2017).

From a conflict theory perspective, poverty is caused due to the bourgeoises using their power to enact and enforce laws to increase and protect their economic interests and thus the proletariat class is reduced to poverty (McCarthy & Manza, 2015). Within the pyramid social structure, the bourgeoises, the elite citizens of a society are at the top whereas the proletariat, the working class of society are at the bottom. As society is lacking resources (jobs and money), the owners of production, the elite, will benefit from the situation whereas 5

the working class will struggle to gain employment and stay above the poverty line (Britannica, 2020). The elite members of society create the rules and regulations to benefit themselves regarding the qualifications and skills required to gain employment and how much an individual is paid and the amount of tax, they will need to pay. This can be illustrated by the housing differences between the elite and the working class. The elite class can afford to reside in an owned house and stay above the line of poverty compared to the working class who either reside in a rented unit and struggle to stay above the poverty line. Certain groups of individuals, in addition to economic inequality also have added conflict due to race, education and gender.

In closing, poverty is a preponderant social problem within Australia, which can be applied to the sociological perspective of conflict theory for sociologists to determine the cause of poverty. Within Australian society, the direct cause of poverty is the social pyramid which consists of the elite being at a top and the working class at the bottom. The elite class create rules and regulations to benefit themselves, staying above the poverty line while the working class is struggling, falling below the poverty line.

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References

Best, J. (2019). Social Problems. Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756384/obo9780199756384-0052.xml#:~:text=The%20term%20%E2%80%9Csocial%20problem %E2%80%9D%20is,%2C%20racism%2C%20and%20the%20like.&text=It%20focuses %20on%20how%20and,they%20socially%20construct%20social%20problems Britannica (2020). Capitalism. Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/capitalism Britannica (2020). Conflict Theory. Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/conflict-sociology

Constantine, C. (2017). Economic structures, institutions and economic performance. Journal of Economic Structures. 6(02). Retrieved from https://journalofeconomicstructures.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40008-017-0063-1

Crossman, A. (2019). Understanding Conflict Theory. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/conflict-theory-3026622 Davidson, P & Bradbury, B & Wong, M &Hill, T. (2020). Poverty in Australia 2020 – Part 1: an overview. Analysis & Policy Observatory. Retrieved from https://apo.org.au/node/276246#:~:text=Key%20findings%3A,the%20poverty%20line%20in %20Australia. Goldie, C & Saunders, P. (2018). Poverty in Australia 2018. Australian Council of Social Service. Retrieved from https://www.acoss.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/ACOSS_Poverty-in-Australia-Report_Web-Final.pdf

Goldie, C & Treloar, C. (2020). Poverty in Australia 2020 (01). Australian Council of Social Service. Retrieved from http://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2020/02/Poverty-in-Australia-2020_Part-1_Overview.pdf Goldie, C & Treloar, C. (2020). Poverty in Australia 2020 (02). Australian Council of Social Service. Retrieved from http://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/wp-

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content/uploads/2020/05/Poverty-in-Australia-2020-Part-2-%E2%80%93-Who-isaffected_Final.pdf McCarthy, M & Manza, J. (2015). Marxist Sociology. Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo9780199756384/obo-9780199756384-0032.xml? rskey=Hk2dT1&result=3&q=karl+marx#firstMatch Parliament of Australia. (2020). Defining and measuring poverty. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved from https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Co mpleted_inquiries/2002-04/poverty/report/c02 Rossel, J. (2017). Conflict Theory. Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756384/obo9780199756384-0035.xml?rskey=99dIkI&result=2&q=conflict+theory#firstMatch Sica, A. (2014). Max Weber. Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756384/obo9780199756384-0064.xml?rskey=ZGWJEU&result=1&q=max+weber#firstMatch Watts, R & Bessant, J (2007). Sociology Australia (3rd ed). Traylor & Francis Group. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquestcom.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/lib/griffith/reader.action? docID=6215082&query=sociology+australia World Vision. (2020). Global poverty: Facts, FAQs, and how to help. World Vision. Retrieved from https://www.worldvision.org/sponsorship-news-stories/global-povertyfacts#:~:text=Recent%20estimates%20for%20global%20poverty,according%20to%20the %20World%20Bank.

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