relative poverty
Contextual economic disadvantage
Relative poverty is poverty measured against the standards of a particular society rather than absolute deprivation.
Someone in relative poverty lacks the resources to participate fully in ordinary life around them—unable to afford what most people consider normal: Many working families live in relative poverty, unable to afford school trips or birthday parties for their children.
The threshold shifts with a society's wealth; relative poverty in a rich country might mean comfort by global standards.
- income inequalityDisparity in earnings distribution
- welfare programsGovernment aid for poor
- social exclusionDenial of societal participation
- peer comparisonEvaluation against similar others
- working poorEmployed but below comfort
making ends meet · hand to mouth · paycheck to paycheck · wealth disparity · progressive taxation · societal expectations · socioeconomic status · purchasing power · social isolation · economic mobility · social ladder · falling behind · community standards · below average · wage gap · social stratification · housing subsidies · food insecurity
- povertypoor, destitution, penniless, needy, destitute
- inequalitywealth gap, income gap, disparity, wage gap, income disparity
relative povertyeconomic privilege
Unearned benefits from wealth
financial security · disposable income · comparative advantage · wealth · affluence
relative, poverty, relate, related, relating, relation, relations, relational, relationship