Firdose Khan, 15

To some degree, we are all familiar with the welfare system, whether that be through experience or simply in concept. The system is portrayed as a way for our country to support us while we bounce back from rough times. However, people in the welfare system have a challenging time escaping it because oftentimes, the benefits of staying on welfare outweigh the short-term advantages of supporting oneself. Poverty traps are economic and environmental circumstances that reinforce themselves, perpetuating poverty for generations Individuals may find themselves lacking the capital necessary to generate a stable income. It is important to note that poverty traps are not determined by a ‘lack of money ’ or economic power, rather, they can be caused by environmental issues that affect other forms of capital, such as real estate or harvests They can also be caused by poor education, healthcare and political systems

If an individual is aware that by not taking employment and remaining in the welfare system, they would have more money than they would at a starting job, then there is little incentive to work because earning minimum wage will lower quality of life. The welfare system is undoubtedly flawed in this aspect. One may choose to remain below the poverty line because the alternative means less money available to cover rent, transportation, food and childcare costs. On the same note, this creates a belief that those who depend on the welfare system are inherently lazy and a burden on society for not supporting themselves by ‘getting a job’. It may be more beneficial to remain on welfare for the foreseeable future Especially in an economic climate like the one we ’ re experiencing currently, every dollar counts. A proposed solution to this is to gradually decrease the amount of welfare money provided as individual incomes increase, to soften the loss of welfare subsidies.

References

2022, from https://www youtube com/watch? v=D9N7QaIOkG8&ab channel=TED-Ed Walters, T. (2022). Poverty Trap: Definition, Causes, and Proposed Solutions Investopedia Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/poverty-trap.asp

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