Idle Poor - GCSE History Definition
Reviewed by: Zoe Wade
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The term "Idle Poor" was used in the past to describe people who were poor and unemployed but were thought not to be making an effort to find work. During the Elizabethan era, many believed that some poor people were lazy and responsible for their own situation, and they used this term to suggest that some poor people did not want to work. The opposite of this was the 'Deserving Poor', who were not responsible for being in poverty and should be helped.
This idea was part of larger attitudes towards poverty at the time, which often ignored the real difficulties faced by poor people, such as lack of jobs, low wages, or no access to education.
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