An understanding of poverty from those who are poor

Abstract

A B S T R A C TParticipatory research in the study of poverty invites those living in difficult circumstances to participate in an analysis of their own livelihood situation. A participatory poverty assessment was facilitated with a small group of women who are members of a food co-operative in Niagara Falls, Canada and who live in poverty. The women explored together issues of well-being, the stress of living in poverty, the role of the social assistance system in shaping their lives and community attitudes. Important themes which emerged included an emphasis on social relationships, the impact of the pervasive scrutiny of the social assistance bureaucracy, the importance of community good will and the possibilities for community action. This article discusses the contribution of local knowledge to an understanding of poverty as well as the limitations of participation in changing social policy. Action ResearchVolume 3(1): 9-31 Copyright© 2005 SAGE Publications

“Who Do They Think We Are, Anyway?”: Perceptions of and Responses to Poverty Stigma

“…Bureaucratic red tape was sometimes interpreted as conveying mistrust. Participants also identified government policies that led to income-support cuts and expressed strong disapproval of the political parties (and their leaders) responsible for such policies because of their impact on meeting even basic needs: Overall, most low-income people viewed the help provided from government agencies as impersonal, reluctantly provided, and nonsupportive, which supports other research findings (e.g., Collins, 2005;Kerr, Frost, & Bignell, 2004;Reid, 2004).…”

“…These strategies might be viewed as ways to counteract the moral exclusion that is perceived to be at the root of their social identities. Nevertheless, as in other studies (e.g., Collins, 2005;Nelson, 2002;Reid, 2004), participants also reported feelings of shame that suggest an internalization of the stereotypes they wish to refute. Feelings of shame necessitated strategies such as self-isolating and concealing poverty to preserve self-esteem, gain acceptance, and reduce fear of stigmatization.…”

“…Fewer studies have been conducted in the Canadian context, most focusing specifically on the experiences of women in poverty (Collins, 2005;McIntyre, Officer, & Robinson, 2003;Reid, 2004). The nature of experiences of poverty stigma is, therefore, a timely topic to explore in the Canadian context, especially in light of evidence suggesting that Canadians are more likely than Americans to attribute poverty to structural causes, and thus might be more sympathetic to the plight of the poor (Ipsos News Centre, 1999;Peters, 1995;Reutter et al, 2005Reutter et al, , 2006.…”

The silent burden of stigmatisation: a qualitative study among Dutch people with a low socioeconomic position

“…Previous research has shown that social benefit recipients and people living in poverty often perceive negative judgements and feel degraded, isolated, devalued, blamed and looked down upon [11–17]. We found that over 18% of the general Dutch population perceived some kind of SEP-related stigmatisation, and that people in the lowest income and occupational groups were significantly more likely to perceive stigmatisation (respectively, 22.0% and 27.5%) [18].…”

Ethos de clase y distinciones: representaciones sociales de fracciones marginalizadas de la clase trabajadora del Gran Buenos Aires

“…En este sentido, cobra relevancia el problema del reconocimiento social. El lenguaje que construyen no se asienta sobre un discurso de derechos, que dé cuenta de tipos de situaciones similares a las reveladas por investigaciones sobre beneficiarios de ayudas sociales en las sociedades francesa y estadounidense (Baker, 2005;Murard, 2002). La inscripción dentro de un discurso de derechos supone un soporte identitario que se vincula con una visión universalista asentada sobre la condición ciudadana del sujeto.…”