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Reese Bromby

Mr. Pace

Junior English

10/30/23

The Effects Poverty has on the American Dream

According the CBS news “The rise in poverty amounts to an increase of 15.3 million people

around the U.S. living in poverty” (Aimee Picchi). The vison people think of when they see

“American Dream” is owning a home, raising a family, having a successful career, and being

able to relax. This view that people have makes poverty an issue because achieving this very

difficult especially when the american dream is all about being wealthy. The American Dream

has been constantly changing and poverty is a huge obstacle effecting peoples views on the

american dream and the effects it has on job opportunities and education.

Poverty causes struggles to reaching the American Dream due to not being able to keep a

job which leads to the loss of money. Having a job today in our society is also a key success to

reaching the American Dream for opportunities.All throughout the U.S. people struggle with

finding jobs due to unequal opportunities. People overlook women or certain races for jobs

“Decades of social, economic, business policies and decisions advantage the wealthy over the

impoverished. And poverty is not indiscriminate. The unequal opportunities and outcomes from

these systemic and societal forces plunge women, especially single mothers” ( Hoyt, Crystal).

For many women, finding and keeping a job with decent wages and advanced opportunities with

obstacles is very difficult especially working to support a family. Some of the struggles are lack

of adequate child care, to juggling work and family responsibilities, to dealing with on the job

discrimination, these are barriers stop them them from achieving the american dream. This
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problem has effected the payment that women get while competing with their male partners. This

is issue needed to changed because “Over half of the 37 million Americans living in poverty

today are women. And women in America are further behind than women in other countries—

the gap in poverty rates between men and women is wider in America than anywhere else in the

Western world.” (Alexandra Cawthorne Gaines). Some reasons why women are living in poverty

are women are paid less than men, even when they have the same qualifications and work the

same hours. They also are segregated into low paying occupations, and occupations dominated

by women are low paid. Pregnancy is also a huge part because pregnancy affects women’s work

and educational opportunities more than men’s, because they have to take time off from work.

Lastly domestic and sexual violence can push women into a cycle of poverty. Women come

across many obstacles while trying to access a way to make money while being forced to

compete with their male counterparts leading to unequal opportunities. Overall, women across

the country are often regarded among the poor because, in countries of the world they are not

given equal rights and opportunities as men in our society now.

Poverty is one of the biggest threats to children's education making their adult life even

more of a struggle. Children that live in poverty leads to educational challenges including their

ability to learn, and behavioral and emotional issues. Children living in poverty will normally

attend a unfunded school or no school at all. They might also have “fewer resources at home to

complete homework, study, or engage in activities that helps equip them for success during the

school day. Many impoverished families lack access to computers, high-speed internet (three-

fourths of households currently have access to high-speed broadband), and other materials that

can aid a student outside of school.” (NASSP). Due to the family not being able to access a

device to complete the work they are given, they will fall behind from not being able to complete
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assignments given. Although students are effected by poverty restricting their education, this also

effects the family because parents of these families often work longer hours or multiple jobs, not

being able to assist their children. According to Kirsten a white moderate voter, “Oh, I know

exactly how fortunate I am, because I came this close to losing everything. I didn’t have health

care after being laid off from my job, and I got cancer. So I know exactly what it is to be poor

and to be this close to bankruptcy. But student loans, mortgages and medical debt don’t go away

with bankruptcy.” (The New York Times). The pressure of being a parent and working a job

when in poverty trying to balance your life is stressful. Some things they have to manage around

their job is time management, confliction priorities, and most off all supporting your family. This

also connects to the pressure of being women in this society with unequal opportunities that have

to support their children. Trying to support a family through poverty is hard enough, but also

trying to balance your life makes it harder. In households like the in the second quote in that

position is a great example of having to find ways to manage their responsibilities while trying

to help their kid. Poverty restricts access to quality education and leads to limited opportunities,

and also limits the potential of students. The american dream is the foundation of our life and

without quality education it isn't achievable.

Many people, mainly wealthy, think that people living in poverty can achieve the american

dream, but they are wrong because being in this situation with constantly being under pressure

from poverty has kept them from being able to plan their future. Since people in poverty don't

normally get an education, they give up on their future which effects job opportunities.

Poverty obstructs educational opportunities and the outcomes. Eduction is necessary for

everyday life skills and is needed to have a future that includes a higher paying job that will

support you and your family. People living in poverty may stop going to school so they can work
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due to not being able to afford it, which leaves them without many skills they need to succeed in

life.

HOYT, CRYSTAL L. “Column: How the American Dream Distorts Our Views on

Poverty.” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 10 Mar. 2023, richmond.com/zzstyling/view-oped-

sig/column-how-the-american-dream-distorts-our-views-on-poverty/article_11031798-

be0c-11ed-afdd-af7bb28a3c77.html.

National Association of Secondary School Principals. “Poverty and Its Impact on

Students’ Education.” NASSP, 14 Nov. 2019, www.nassp.org/poverty-and-its-impact-on-

students-education/.

New York Times. “Is America in a Recession? Here’s What 16 Biden and Trump

Supporters Think.” The New York Times, 13 Sept. 2022,

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/13/opinion/america-recession-biden-trump.html.

Accessed 14 Sept. 2022.

PICCHI, AIMEE. “America’s Poverty Rate Soared Last Year. Children Were among the

Worst Hit. - CBS News.” Www.cbsnews.com, 12 Sept. 2023,

www.cbsnews.com/news/poverty-rate-census-income/.
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