Poverty in Britain

Poverty in Britain
Student Name
Institutional affiliation
Course Name and Number
Professor
Due Date
Poverty in Britain
About one in five of British population are considered poor, a figure that translates to around 14.5 million people in total. Of the total, 8.1 are adults, 4.3 children and 2.1 pensioners (Greve, 2022). Statistics indicate further that child poverty is on the rise with one in three children now being considered poor. In a report published by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) it is established that the extent and cause of poverty today were much similar today as those in 1900 (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2020). While there are more job opportunities today, it is evident that too many jobs no longer provide decent pay. With a significant number of Britain considered to be poor welfare provisions continues to face significant improvements.
Explanation of Poverty in Britain
Britain ranks among the wealthiest nations globally. Despite this, poverty remains a major social issue affecting a great number of British citizens. An estimated 14.5 million citizens live below the poverty line and in 2021, it is estimated that one in five British people struggled to purchase food, with several others reliant on food banks to feed their families. Poverty cases in Britain are largely due to structural factors including lack of jobs, low wages, and high living costs (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2020). While unemployment rate remains low in the UK (3.8%), it remains a major cause of poverty among majority. More so, while majority of people are employed, low payment and high wage inequality continues to impact the living state of a significant number of people. Low wages, inequality in wages coupled with low employment opportunities continues to exacerbate poverty in the UK.
Secondly, the overall lack of technical skills and education is a major cause of poverty. About 5 million adults in the UK lack basic numeracy and literacy skills, leaving them greatly disadvantaged in the labor force. Another 12.6 lack the digital skills leaving them out of major digital employment opportunities. In a world highly dependent on technology technical skills and basic digital skills have become mandatory, something that lacks among some British citizens (Glennerster, 2020). Thirdly, high cost of goods and services especially healthcare costs have exacerbated poverty in many ways. Between 2008 and 2019, the cost of living in the UK has increased almost four times the average wage. Renting, food, and utilities have increased tremendously rendering income almost valueless as a high percentage of income goes to bills and basic spending. Other issues such as inadequacies in benefit system, debt and debt repayments driving regressive taxes, and old age costs have increased rates of poverty.
Post War and Current Welfare Provision
Poverty has existed for many years, and welfare provision has been a major strategy used in Britain to try reduce poverty rates. Post war saw the enactment of key legislations that could help brinish people rise above poverty. Some of the key welfare programs post war were the 1945 family allowance act, national insurance act of 1946, national health service act of 1946, child act of 1948, and housing...