Many Paths: Here are 3 ways we can help reduce poverty

When looking into poverty, people can agree that it is a complex and persuasive issue that has impacted millions worldwide. Poverty can be defined as not having the necessities you need to provide for yourself, such as food, water, clothing and shelter.

The causes of our constantly changing economy, social inequality, and various systematic barriers can differ. Many consequences can occur such as impacting not just the individual, but the community as well, and even entire nations.

This can lead to various cycles of deprivations, and hardships. In order to address poverty, it requires thoughtful strategies that include a great deal of economic development, various social support systems, and policies that enable a reduction in inequality and access to basic needs.

Systematic barriers are various obstacles that prevent people from accessing various resources and opportunities.

When referring back to poverty, those systematic barriers can be applied to discriminatory practices, insufficient social policies, and failed economic systems. Looking into some examples, there is limited access to quality education an imbalance of the healthcare system in various regions, and employment discrimination. These barriers produce a cycle that makes it difficult to improve someone’s socioeconomic status.

Poverty can have a large spectrum of consequences that affect not just individuals, but society as a whole.

A large portion of people experiencing poverty have less access to healthcare. Without being able to obtain sufficient healthcare services, people living in poverty are more susceptible to untreated illnesses, more chronic conditions, and overall poor health.

Another consequence following poverty is less access to quality education. This enables of cycle of limited skills and a reduced chance of earning a higher income in adulthood. Poverty also leads to an unsureness of where your next meal might come from. A lack of consistent access to food with nutrition can lead to more malnutrition issues, as well as related health concerns.

The quality of life can also be significantly reduced. Events such as social exclusion, mental health issues, and various other concerns can be detrimental to one’s social life. In addition, financial constraints can lead to housing in which individuals are living in unsafe, or crowded spaces.

Many times, there is a limited supply of clean water, and sanitary conditions which causes health concerns to rise again. People also might experience social isolation and have a feeling of reduced overall satisfaction which can contribute to a lower quality of life compared to those who are more financially stable.

In order to address poverty, we can look into economic development. Job creation is one possible, and very leading solution. Creating industries and influencing entrepreneurship can increase the amount of employment issues to help individuals obtain a stable income.

Another example includes investing in education essentials. Looking inward at the foundation of education can provide a better framework for preparing people for their futures. Another way to improve poverty includes infrastructure development. This includes building roads, schools, and hospitals.

This will enhance access to essential services and increase economic activity. And finally, ensuring workers have fair and equal pay can also assist in poverty rates.

Overall, poverty is a multifaceted issue with large consequences that can affect a person’s quality of life, their access to healthcare, and their basic needs in life. Systematic barriers such as discriminatory practices and unfair social policies can lead to cycles of poverty occurring throughout generations making it hard to transition to a different socioeconomic status.

Adding job opportunities, creating a large quality of education, and boosting economic development can all reduce the labels of poverty. By combatting the foundation and support systems, we can work towards reducing poverty and increasing everyone’s quality of life.

McKenna Clark is a junior at Williamsfield High School.

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Many Paths: Here are 3 ways we can help reduce poverty