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Relationship Between Poverty and Vulnerability
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Relationship Between Poverty and Vulnerability
When I hear the term “vulnerable,” I think of individuals who are at a higher risk of harm
or exploitation due to various factors such as socioeconomic status, health conditions, or lack of
support systems. A vulnerable person can be someone who lacks the resources or capacity to
protect themselves from physical, emotional, or financial harm. Life situations that can result in
vulnerability include poverty, illness, disability, lack of education, and social isolation.
Definitions of Poverty and Vulnerability
Poverty:
With respect to poverty definition, I have a personal and a universal view: The personal
definition of poverty is the lack of monetary means to acquire the basic essentials of life such as
food, shelter, clothing, and healthcare. (Habibov et al., 2019) Define poverty as a limited
capability of procuring services and participating in social activities and opportunities.
Vulnerability:
In this context, the meaning of vulnerability refers to the condition by which an
individual or a group is at risk of being harmed or exploited because of factors that compromise
one’s coping capacity or power to resist. Vulnerability is variable or permanent and depends on
the individual and structural determinants. Stanhope and Lancaster define vulnerability as being
a state of being that occurs when factors within and outside an individual render a detrimental
event more likely to occur (Fayazi & Bornstein, 2021).
Relationship Between Poverty and Vulnerability
Poverty has a strong relation with vulnerability. Poverty brings vulnerability because
essential needs, including health care, education, and shelter, remain unmet. On the other hand,
vulnerability leads to poverty because those who are vulnerable cannot easily work their way out
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of poverty. For example, an adult who is chronically ill may lose his or her job; thus, he or she
becomes financially vulnerable, and his or her health status worsens.
Broader Implications of Poverty
While poverty is most typically associated with a financial condition, it can also be linked
to other areas of a person’s well-being:
Health Poverty:
The unavailability of healthcare services means that various ailments and diseases go
untreated, and so it's challenging for people to lead healthy lives. Patients suffer from chronic
diseases that are not adequately managed, and preventive care remains out of reach.
Educational Poverty:
Evidently, low literacy standards due to inadequate facilities and infrastructure are the
consequences of restricted access to quality education, which in turn reduces employment
opportunities. This kind of poverty perpetuates the vulnerability of children in that they will not
perform well in school if they come from impoverished families, thereby preserving their
poverty status.
Social Poverty:
Lack of social relations and feeling lonely can worsen the mental state and decrease life
quality. Social exclusion entails failure to engage in any social activities due to inability, and this
makes people develop feelings of hopelessness. It also prevents people from connecting with
others to get the tools and services that might enable them to better their quality of life. These
various forms of poverty relate to one another and emphasize the idea that poverty is not only a
lack of money but a completely encompassing problem that affects all aspects of a person's life.
Historical Impact on Poverty in the United States
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Two historical events that have significantly impacted poverty in the United States are:
The Great Depression (1929-1939):
Due to this depression status, there was high unemployment, people were leaving their
homes to find shelter, and there was a high rate of people in poverty. The impact of the great
depression is still seen today in policies and legislation like social security and unemployment
insurance (Pells & Romer, 2019).
The Civil Rights Movement (1950s-1960s):
This movement aimed at the elimination of racial discrimination and the assimilation of
blacks into American society. Though it did a lot for legal and social justice, it also unveiled how
the system perpetuates poverty among minority populations. The legislation that followed this,
like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, aims to address these inequalities but also points out that race,
poverty, and vulnerability are entwined (Banaji et al., 2021).
Public Attitudes and Stigma
Public attitudes toward the poor often include negative stereotypes and stigma. The poor are
frequently perceived as lazy or responsible for their own condition, which can lead to
discrimination and social exclusion. This stigma can have severe impacts on the impoverished,
including:
Reduced Access to Opportunities:
Stigmatized individuals may face barriers to employment, education, and housing, further
entrenching them in poverty.
Mental Health Issues:
The stress and shame associated with being stigmatized can lead to mental health
problems such as depression and anxiety.
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As a professional nurse working in the emergency room at the county jail, I have gained
experience with the effects of poverty and vulnerable states as factors influencing health status.
Most of the inmates that I encounter have distressing illnesses that result from the suspension of
health care services prior to imprisonment. Also, inmates are stigmatized due to the nature of
their status, and this hinders them from accessing the proper health care and services they need.
Conclusion
It is important for healthcare personnel to have an understanding of the connection
between poverty and vulnerability. This way, the complex needs of such clients and their families
can be acknowledged, and policies promoting poverty decrease and protection of those at risk
can be advocated for. As a nurse, I maintain the highest standards of care and respect the rights of
patients who often end up in this situation due to the systemic injustice in society.
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References
Banaji, M. R., Fiske, S. T., & Massey, D. S. (2021). Systemic racism: Individuals and interactions,
institutions and society. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6(1), 1–21.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-021-00349-3
Fayazi, M., & Bornstein, L. (2021, January 1). Chapter 14 - The links between vulnerability, poverty,
and natural hazards: A focus on the impacts of globalization trends (A. et al., Eds.).
ScienceDirect; Elsevier.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128190784000149
Habibov, N., Auchynnikava, A., & Luo, R. (2019). Poverty Does Make Us Sick. Annals of Global
Health, 85(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2357
Pells, R. H., & Romer, C. D. (2019). Great Depression. In Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Depression
