The Effect of Education and Discrimination in Poverty
By: Greis Tozaj
Poverty includes more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods. It also entails hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education, social discrimination, and the lack of participation in decision-making. Like a tree, poverty has many roots. But among the many causes of global poverty, one factor stands out: education. Access to high-quality education is a globally-recognized solution to the cycle of poverty. Most of the people living in extreme poverty lack primary education. Those living below the poverty line will also be more likely to keep their children out of school, which means they will also have a greater chance of living in poverty. It is proven that education directly correlates with many solutions to poverty, including economic growth, reduced income inequality, reduced infant and maternal deaths, reduced violence at home and in society, and many more (Giovetti 2020).
According to the most recent estimates, in 2015, 10 % of the world’s population or 734 million people lived on less than $1.90 a day. According to UNESCO, if all students in low-income countries had just basic reading skills (nothing else), an estimated 171 million people could escape extreme poverty. Education can fight inequality and develop skills and abilities that you will gain nowhere else. Education should never be underestimated as numerous benefits stem from it in life, starting from expanding your intellect, many doors that will open for you in the future, critical thinking skills, and more. An example of how we could reduce poverty globally by using education is for each country to make it required for every person to finish at least their high school education. For example, some people in Mexico don’t complete their high school education because they have to help out their families financially by working. Still, they don’t realize that education will get them more money than a regular job requiring no education. In addition, if people in a particular country live with less money than a certain sum, they should be helped by the government with specific amounts of money per month.
A new analysis by Bread for the World Institute has shown that discrimination also increases hunger and poverty for women. Women earn less than men for doing the same job. They bear the burden of unpaid responsibilities such as housework and cooking and are the primary caregivers in their families. Women are more likely than men to spend additional income on their children’s health and education. Working single mothers are twice as likely as men to hold low-wage and/or part-time jobs with few or no benefits. Working mothers with children under 18 report that the gender pay gap contributes to poor living conditions, poor nutrition, and fewer opportunities for their children. According to UNESCO, if children and women had eliminated poverty, an estimated 171 million people could escape extreme poverty. More women than men live in extreme poverty in the US because women don’t get paid as much as men. Therefore, to reduce poverty in the US and the world, the solution is to pay women as much as men for the same job (Concern WorldWide US, 2020).
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