AN EXAMINATION OF THE IDEA OF THE WORTHY AND UNWORTHY POOR AND CORRESPONDING SOCIAL

WORK PRACTICE 1

An Examination of the Idea of the Worthy and Unworthy Poor and Corresponding

Social Work Practice

Yu Hsin Chen

SOCW 600 – P01

George Mason University Department of Social Work

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AN EXAMINATION OF THE IDEA OF THE WORTHY AND UNWORTHY POOR AND CORRESPONDING SOCIAL
WORK PRACTICE
Abstract

This paper is the historical context of the idea of the worthy and unworthy poor,

introducing how the public view of poverty has grown and changed over time. First, this paper

will discuss exactly what is meant by “worthy” and “unworthy” poor. Then the paper will talk

each period of the concept of worthy and unworthy poor, through the historical surveying

Europe, colonial times, the 1860s, the 1960s, the 2000s into society today. Besides, it will

address how social workers must face the ramifications of the concepts of worthy and unworthy

poor in three main areas: practice, social justice, and social policy. Finally, the paper will give

some specific suggestions as to how social workers should look to tackle poverty, the goal of

poverty alleviation in mind.

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WORK PRACTICE
Introduction

Poverty is a prevailing issue in American society, and people talk about it in their daily

life. But why does the term "poverty" appear in society? What is poverty? When will people

mention the poor? What kind of people are the worthy poor and need to be rescued? In contrast,

what kind of people are regarded as unworthy poor and do not deserve relief? How does the

definition of poverty distinguish between these groups? This paper will explore this concept,

starting with the historical perspective of social welfare policy in American history.

A History of the Worthy and Unworthy Poor

The appearance of the worthy and unworthy poor concept in American society, which

can be traced back to early social welfare in Europe because social welfare in America inherited

the concept from early Britain. According to Marjie Bloy (2002), the British Justice of the Peace

was empowered to raise funds to help the poor in 1563. It was the first time that people with

financial difficulties have defined as follows:

“Those who are willing to work but cannot: they are the poor who are able or deserve

benefits. They will get help. Those who are too old / too sick / too young to work: they

are the poor who are incompetent or deserve it. They will be cared for in relief homes,

hospitals, orphanages, or slums.”

Based on this definition, The Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601was established (Marjie Bloy, 2002),

creating the public concept of poverty. Next, the English Poor Law Reforms of 1834 reinforced

the direction of poverty. This law defined three main categories of the poor: needy children, poor

labors, and the incapacitated (Brady & Burton, 2019). It assisted children in finding

apprenticeships, helped labors get an opportunity for work, and gave relief to incapacitated

people who had intense eagerness to work (Brady & Burton, 2019). Thus, the public came to
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AN EXAMINATION OF THE IDEA OF THE WORTHY AND UNWORTHY POOR AND CORRESPONDING SOCIAL
WORK PRACTICE
understand that willingness to work and a strong motivation for getting a job belongs to the

worthy poor.

After the American Civil War, there was a trend in poverty relief – charity organizations

emerged, which produced “friendly visitors” from private religious organizations advocated to

aid and study the poor. They hoped to understand the relationship between poverty and behavior

defects since 1869 (Brady & Burton, 2019). However, these “friendly visitors” encouraged

people to be economically self-sufficient, and they tried to let people can be less dependent on

government welfare (Brady & Burton, 2019). This approach toward poverty led the public to

expect that people who can work, become self-reliant, and bring themselves out of poverty are

deserving of the limited financial help the charity organizations offered (Brady & Burton, 2019).

Therefore, in this period and under limited resources, the public turned to the thinking that

people are deserving of help because they have the ability to work, while those not able to work

are seen as weak and unworthy. In the following decades, race issues and segregation remained

as part of the effects of slavery. The race became a factor in dividing the worthy and unworthy

poor. By the 1960s, the civil rights and welfare movement tried to break and challenge the

public’s perspective of the dichotomy of the worthy and unworthy (Brady & Burton, 2019).

By the 1970s, as people who received welfare increased, the American public argued

over the issue of worthy and unworthy poor again. Because of the economic downturn, people

felt anxious. They hoped that the government should focus on solving the current economic

problems instead of these social welfares (Brady & Burton, 2019).

Besides, politicians tried to manipulate the public to have different perspectives on the

current people who received subsidies. For instance, President Ronald Reagan stated the term

"Welfare Queen," which influenced some people to hold an anti-poverty perspective in the 1980s
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AN EXAMINATION OF THE IDEA OF THE WORTHY AND UNWORTHY POOR AND CORRESPONDING SOCIAL
WORK PRACTICE
(Brady & Burton, 2019). In 1996, President Clinton passed the Personal Responsibility and

Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), expecting to lift the working poor out of

poverty. According to this act, people who were willing to stick to work and put effort into labor

were regarded as the “worthy” poor, so that they had an opportunity to receive relief (Brady &

Burton, 2019). The public’s perspective of poverty was not only affected by current macro

circumstances but also by government policies.

In the present day, most countries have a more elaborate basis for defining poverty. In the

United States, the federal government uses a poverty line approach, which is according to the

family size and the assessment of annual cash income level, to determine people who need and

deserve to receive welfare. However, technology and media have affected the public view of

poverty (Brady & Burton, 2019). For instance, immigration issues in the United States are

widely discussed in public forums like the television or the internet. People discuss the

immigrants who are worthy or unworthy and question them whether they deserve welfare relief

or not. Therefore, how to define the worthy and unworthy poor still is a tough question, and it is

hard to give people a perfect answer. No matter how the government defines welfare conditions,

public opinion may still be negative (Campbell, 2016).

Influence on Social Work Practice

Social workers are likely to work with clients that have financial issues; or those who

receive benefits from social welfare or social insurance. Poverty can have direct and indirect

consequences for the health and well-being of children and families (Bunting et al., 2018).

Poverty may cause an inability to achieve economic self-sufficiency that some families with

stable employment. Therefore, social workers should be involved in policies and practices to

understand how poverty influences their clients’ decision-making. Social workers can best
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WORK PRACTICE
encourage people to be self-aware and empowered, which can change their financial

circumstances. (McCartan, Morrison, Bunting, Davidson, & McIlroy, 2018).

Poverty is also a social justice issue for social workers. Poverty is closely related to other

inequalities, such as gender, race, or disability. The interaction of poverty and those inequalities

also aggravates the influence of public opinion on the worthy and unworthy poor. Social workers

effectively understand poverty, to deal with differences in the worthy and unworthy poor and

reduce inequality. Thus, social workers who are committed to social justice may require much

time and experience to initiate and advocate for these goals (McCartan et al., 2018).

The government's promotion of social policies affects beneficiaries and social workers

alike. When the public and political parties start to discuss anti-poverty solutions or to classify

the poor as worthy and unworthy poor, social works sometimes may deeply involve in the

dilemma, which is the relationship between following the policies direction and giving clients’

resources. (Boone, Roets, & Roose, 2018). For instance, child poverty is a global problem. Many

countries have made a wide range of policies and legislative commitments to reduce poverty.

Despite these commitments, policies frequently change because welfare spending is political,

which leads to the public being more resistant to welfare spending than other types of

government spending (Campbell, 2016). Thus, when social workers explain the policy changes

to the clients who probably will not receive the subsidies; this situation may put social workers in

a dilemma. Another example, the Medicaid program is one of the most widely discussed in

American society. In this program, the poor are forced to be measured by dichotomy judgment.

People must prove that they are truly poor enough but still need to be able to pay for their own

medical fees. Those people will be regarded as deserving and can gain medical aid. If they are

not worthy, they will not be recognized by the program. In addition, the Medicaid program
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WORK PRACTICE
provides services for many vulnerable groups, including low-income families, and disabled

people, which are at the core of social work tasks (Bachman et al., 2017). However, despite the

unique skills and social justice mission of social work, which makes the profession a leader in

this field of health, social work has been trying to find its identity and determine its role in the

medical field.

Reform Suggestions

The social workers are the most crucial role in tackling poverty; they can enhance clients’

human capital by improving knowledge through educating and assisting in skills training.

Through these acts, people can empower themselves that they can acquire knowledge and skills

to find better jobs, to earn income, and out of poverty. For example, in the family, social workers

can stimulate parents’ motivation, enhance their self-confidence, and encourage them to

participate in adult education or vocational training (McCartan et al., 2018). In Kaohsiung,

Taiwan, there is a community center for families, which is a social work resource that connects,

health centers, other community resources, and non-profit organizations. The center provides

family education, health care services, and childcare service. Moreover, to aid families with

income security, social workers can educate them about financial planning, help them a budget

and cope with economic difficulties, and provide a positive way for them to tackle financial

problems. This approach may also significantly reduce families’ needs for child welfare reliance.

Around social policy and social justice, social workers should be involved in political

messaging and advocacy. For instance, social workers can advocate that poverty alleviation

should be the goal of government policy and practice, which will help to tackle the inequality

problems. Besides, social workers need to help their clients understand how policies are

formulated, increasing their awareness of policy changes. Moreover, social workers should
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AN EXAMINATION OF THE IDEA OF THE WORTHY AND UNWORTHY POOR AND CORRESPONDING SOCIAL
WORK PRACTICE
understand the causes and mechanisms of an anti-poverty mindset how impacts the poor so that

social workers can intervene in an approach of empathy, recognition, and respect through client

reflection. (Gupta et al. 2018). Through this approach can enable social workers to improve their

understanding and reorganization of poverty so that they can better advocate for and support

needy people.

Conclusion

The concept of worthy and unworthy poor in American society derived from the early

British poverty act until current policies. The changing social environment implementation of

welfare policies and the prevalence of messaging in media will influence the public’s perspective

about poverty. (Kirst-Ashman, 2017). The public view of worthy poor and unworthy poor also

influence social work practice. The situation is complicated because social workers have been

assigning a crucial role in eliminating poverty in society. However, social work should be

proactive in facing tensions of worthy and unworthy poor, trying to balance the two sides'

perspectives and assisting needy people.

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AN EXAMINATION OF THE IDEA OF THE WORTHY AND UNWORTHY POOR AND CORRESPONDING SOCIAL
WORK PRACTICE
References

Bachman, S. S., Wachman, M., Manning, L., Cohen, A. M., Seifert, R. W., Jones, D. K., …

Riley, P. (2017). Social Work’s Role in Medicaid Reform: A Qualitative Study.

American Journal of Public Health, 107(S3), S250–S255.

https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304002

Boone, K., Roets, G., & Roose, R. (2018). Social Work, Poverty and Anti-Poverty Strategies:

Creating Cultural Forums. The British Journal of Social Work.

https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy006

Brady, D., & Burton, L. (2019). The Oxford handbook of the social science of poverty.

Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2017). Introduction to social work & social welfare: Critical thinking

perspectives (Fifth edition). Australia ; Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Marjie Bloy. (2002, November). The 1601 Elizabethan Poor Law. Retrieved October 21, 2019,

from http://www.victorianweb.org/history/poorlaw/elizpl.html

McCartan, C., Morrison, A., Bunting, L., Davidson, G., & McIlroy, J. (2018). Stripping the

Wallpaper of Practice: Empowering Social Workers to Tackle Poverty. Social Sciences,

7(10), 193. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7100193