Social Groups Likely to Experience Poverty (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Revision Note

Groups at risk of poverty

• The likelihood of living in poverty is not evenly distributed across society — some social groups are much more likely to be affected than others

• The proportion of people in poverty is relatively high among:

  • older people

  • people with disabilities or long-term illness

  • people from minority ethnic groups

  • women

  • families with children, especially lone-parent families

• These groups are more likely to experience poorer health, lower educational attainment, insecure housing and reduced employment opportunities

• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2024) found that poverty rates remain high despite periods of economic growth, showing that poverty is a structural issue, not just an individual misfortune

Class & poverty

• Working-class people are at greater risk of poverty than other social classes

• They generally perform less well in education and find it harder to obtain secure, well-paid jobs

• The Institute for Fiscal Studies (2024) reported that median household income in 2022–23 was 1.6% lower than in 2019–20

• Low pay, unemployment, and job insecurity increase the likelihood of working-class families experiencing poverty — sometimes even when in work

Sociological perspectives

• Marxists argue that low wages for the working class reflect capitalist exploitation, where the ruling class profits from cheap labour

  • E.g. during the cost-of-living crisis, real wages fell while many firms protected profits

  • Marxists argue that this is capitalism intensifying exploitation—explaining why billionaire wealth can rise even as workers struggle

  • Poverty ensures the availability of a reserve army of labour, keeping wages low and workers replaceable

• Functionalists suggest that low-paid jobs are necessary to motivate people to strive for higher rewards — but critics argue that this justifies inequality

Ethnicity & gender

Ethnicity and poverty

• Minority ethnic groups are more likely to experience poverty than White British households

  • The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2024) reported that between 2019/20 and 2021/22:

    • 51% of Pakistani households and 53% of Bangladeshi households were in poverty

    • 42% of Black African households were in poverty

• These groups also experience deep and persistent poverty and higher rates of child poverty

• Explanations include:

  • discrimination and racism in the labour market

  • over-representation in low-paid and insecure work

  • language barriers and lower take-up of benefits or support

Gender and poverty

• Women are more likely to experience poverty than men due to:

  • the gender pay gap, which remains despite equality legislation

  • high representation in part-time, low-paid, or caring jobs

  • being more likely to head single-parent families

  • older women living alone with small occupational pensions

• Peter Townsend identified groups most at risk of poverty, including pensioners living alone, lone mothers, and women in low-paid jobs

Sociological perspectives

• Marxists argue that women and ethnic minorities are part of a reserve army of labour, used when needed and discarded during economic downturns

• Weberian theorists highlight how ethnic minorities face status inequality, experiencing prejudice that limits life chances

• Feminists argue that women’s economic disadvantage stems from patriarchy — men’s dominance in society and work

Disability & age

Disability and poverty

• Disabled people are significantly more likely to live in poverty than non-disabled people

  • The ONS (2023) reports that around half of disabled adults are in work and those in work face a significant disability pay gap (12.7% in 2023)

  • People with disabilities face additional costs, such as transport, care, and medical expenses

  • Discrimination and inaccessibility in workplaces further reduce opportunities

• Disabled people face economic disadvantage, isolation, and exclusion — their poverty often stems from social and structural inequality, not personal ability

Age and poverty

• Age is another important factor affecting poverty:

  • Families with young children face high living costs and childcare expenses

  • Elderly people may struggle on fixed or low pensions, especially as living costs rise

    • Pensioners who rent or rely only on state pensions are most at risk

• Age UK (2023) reports that over 2 million pensioners in the UK live below the poverty line

• Poverty in later life is often linked to gender — older women live longer but have smaller pensions due to career breaks and lower pay earlier in life

• Both young and older people face financial insecurity at different life stages — young adults through low pay and housing costs, and older adults through reduced income and isolation

Sociological perspectives

• Marxists suggest that:

  • capitalism sidelines disabled people because they are seen as less “economically productive”

  • older people are seen as “economically redundant” in capitalist societies once they retire, reducing their status and income

• Functionalists see retirement as a normal social role transition, freeing up jobs for younger workers — but this can mask structural inequality