child poverty
Minors in need
Child poverty is the condition of children living in households without adequate financial resources for basic needs—food, shelter, clothing, healthcare.
Governments measure it differently: absolute thresholds (living on less than a set amount) or relative ones (household income below a percentage of the national median).
Child poverty rates have risen since the pandemic.
The term often appears in policy debates about welfare, education funding, and economic inequality.
Disease from dietary inadequacy
- stuntingArresting natural growth
- wastingUsing poorly, inefficiently
- underweightBelow normal mass
- food insecurityUncertain access to adequate meals
hunger · anemia · developmental delays · infant mortality · healthcare access · mental health · chronic stress · lead exposure
Lasting psychological wound
- neglectFailure to provide care
- food banksDonation-based hunger relief centers
- homelessnessLacking permanent residence
- social exclusionDenial of societal participation
Requirements for survival
- UNICEFGlobal youth relief organization
- right to educationGuaranteed access to schooling
- legal protectionRights enforceable by law
- social servicesPublic aid programs
government assistance · welfare programs · safety net · foster care · family support
Earnings difference between groups
- wealth disparityUneven distribution of assets
- socioeconomic statusRank by wealth and education
- class divideGap between economic strata
- economic mobilityMovement between income levels
working poor · means testing · income support · tax credits · wealth transfer · opportunity gap · social stratification
Being without paid work
- single parenthoodRaising children alone
- family breakdownCollapse of household bonds
- housing costsMoney spent on shelter
- medical debtMoney owed for treatment
low wages · systemic racism · disability · substance abuse · incarceration · immigration status · inflation · recession
Educational performance inequality
- literacy ratesMeasure of reading ability
- dropout ratesProportion leaving before completion
- school fundingMoney allocated to schools
- homework gapStudent broadband access inequality
digital divide · head start · school meals · educational attainment · learning outcomes · attendance · school readiness · preschool access
malnutrition
Disease from dietary inadequacy
- stuntingArresting natural growth
- wastingUsing poorly, inefficiently
- underweightBelow normal mass
food insecurity · hunger · anemia · developmental delays · infant mortality · healthcare access · mental health · chronic stress · lead exposure · dental decay
trauma
Lasting psychological wound
- neglectFailure to provide care
- food banksDonation-based hunger relief centers
- homelessnessLacking permanent residence
basic needs
Requirements for survival
- UNICEFGlobal youth relief organization
- right to educationGuaranteed access to schooling
- legal protectionRights enforceable by law
social services · government assistance · welfare programs · safety net · foster care · family support
income gap
Earnings difference between groups
- wealth disparityUneven distribution of assets
- socioeconomic statusRank by wealth and education
- class divideGap between economic strata
economic mobility · working poor · means testing · income support · tax credits · wealth transfer · opportunity gap · social stratification
unemployment
Being without paid work
- single parenthoodRaising children alone
- family breakdownCollapse of household bonds
- housing costsMoney spent on shelter
low wages · medical debt · systemic racism · disability · substance abuse · incarceration · immigration status · inflation · recession · job insecurity
achievement gap
Educational performance inequality
- literacy ratesMeasure of reading ability
- dropout ratesProportion leaving before completion
- school fundingMoney allocated to schools
homework gap · digital divide · head start · school meals · educational attainment · learning outcomes · attendance · school readiness · preschool access · after-school programs
- povertypoor, destitution, penniless, needy, destitute
- social issuesinequality, racism, illiteracy, homelessness, sexism
- statisticsmean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation
- child welfarefoster care, foster home, protective services, CPS, foster family
- social trendsincome inequality, feminism, social mobility, environmentalism, wealth gap
- Urban Problemsurban blight, blight, abandoned buildings, vacant lots, crime rates
child, poverty, children, childish, childhood, childlike, childcare, impoverished, poverty-stricken