Absolute Poverty vs Relative Poverty

What is Poverty?

It is having no power, no control of your life and you live life as if it is your last. A country may not be able to support itself economically and so can lead to war or civil unrest. Poverty is often experienced by certain people of society e.g. certain social groups.

Absolute Poverty:

Absolute poverty measures the number of people living below a certain income threshold or the number of households unable to afford certain basic goods and services.

Relative Poverty:

Relative poverty measures the extent to which a household’s financial resources falls below an average income threshold for the economy. Although living standards and real incomes have grown because of higher employment and sustained economic growth over recent years, the gains in income and wealth have been unevenly distributed across the population.

Factors of Poverty

• Child Poverty
• Environmental Poverty
• Gender Equality
• Homelessness
• Lack of Food
• Maternal Health

The cycle of poverty has been described as a phenomenon where poor families become trapped in poverty for generations.

Because they have no or limited access to critical resources, such as

·         Education and

·         Financial services

Subsequent generations are also impoverished. There are multiple cycles of poverty-based on, among other things,

·         Economic

·         Social

·         Spiritual and

·         Geographical factors

Many cycles overlap or perpetrate new cycles and therefore any attempt to depict the cycle of poverty will be far more simplistic than realistic.

The figure on the left shows-in very simplistic terms-how a cycle of poverty related to hunger keeps a person or household poor in one of the world’s developing countries.

Gender Equality

Definition: Gender equality refers to the equal value of men and women and their contribution to society

Facts

• Approximately 70% of the world's poor people are women.
  
• In Niger, 1 in 7 women die of maternal death

Why it occurs

In many countries and religions, men and women are given different treatment and responsibilites which leads to inequality. Women are the worst affected and some are given no power at all to determine their life.

What can be done/who is doing something?

• International womens' day highlights equal rights for women
• White ribbon day to raise awareness about violence against women
• Goal 3 of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to promote Gender Equality and empower women.
• The Australian Agency for International development is working with other countries to address inequality

Social Justice-Catholic Themes

Social Justice concerns itself with our responsibility to ensure that all people are given a 'fair go'.

Some issues that Social Justice aims to cover to are:

• Poverty
• Child Labour
• Refugees
• Homelessness
• Hunger

Dignity of the human person

Dignity is about pride and self-respect. It is based on the idea that the person is made in the image of God.

Common Good and Community

Humans are sacred and social, we live and grow together and must be valued in the wider community

Option for the Poor

Society is tested on how it treats the poor and venerable. It needs to stop the poverty cycle before it gets worse with the help of other community members.

Rights and Responsibilities

Every person has a right to live and a right to have the things required for Human Decency such as

• Shelter
• Food
• Clothing
• Employment
• Healthcare
• Education

It is our responsibility to give others these rights.

Role of Government

The government's role is to promote human dignity and give people their rights. Everyone has a right to participate in politics so the government can achieve it's goals.

Economic Justice

The economy must serve people and give them the right to fair wages and safe working conditions. No-one is allowed to have excessive wealth while others lack the basic neccesities in life.

Stewardship of God's creation

God gave the gifts of the earth as a gift and we have the responsibility to care for these goods as stewards not comsumers. How we treat the environment is a measure of our stewardship and respect for God.

Promotion of Peace and disarment

Catholic teaching promotes peace which is closely related to justice and is dependant upon right order amongst human beings.It involves mutual respect and confidence between people and their and nations.

Participation

Everyone has their own right to participate in society because it is a requirement of justice and dignity. No one should be excluded or unable to participate in society.

Global Solidarity and Development

Everyone has a responsibility to care for each other and respect our differences. By working together, we can promote rights of nations and peoples and strive for justice.

Questions about Community

1. Give an example of a community you are part of

-Stella Maris Community

2. How is this community both sacred and social?

-It teaches the values of God while you are able to learn in a social environment with your friends.

3. What is the major test of a moral society?

-How much attention it gives to the poor/ special needs, how it distributes it's money and how it organises itself in an even and fair way.

4.In what way does this community look after the poor?

-By collecting donations from students and holding events to raise money.

Lady Justice

The time honoured symbol of justice in the west is the Lady of Justice (adapted from greek and roman mythology) depicted as a blind-folded woman with a scale in one hand and a sword in the other. This stands for equality in the dispensation of justice without favour or prejudice.

• Her eyes are always covered by a blindfold so that she is not influenced by the person being judged.
• The scales she holds date back to egyptian times where Anubis weighed a persons heart against a feather to see if it was pure enough.
• The sword in her hand is a historical symbol of authority, used by kings and other important people for knighting.
• The toga she wears represents her origin from Justita-the Roman goddess of Justice.

For more information: http://www.ehow.com/about_6623039_symbolism-lady-justice.html#ixzz1DDkEMguX



Introduction to Social Justice

The protection of the rights of all human beings, irrespective of   

• race
• colour
• creed
• nationality or
• language

Is central to the concept of justice

Justice can be defined as

"the morally correct state of persons and their affairs."

From a practical point of view, justice demands

• equality
• objectivity and
• fair dealing

First Post

This blog was created today in Religion Class on 2/2/11