Effects of Povety on Children

In recent years, about two in five Indian children—some 25-30 million—have lived in families in which cash income failed to exceed official poverty thresholds. Another two fifth lived in families whose incomes were no more than twice the poverty threshold. For a small minority children—4.8% of all children and 15% of children who ever became poor—childhood poverty lasted 10 years or more.

Income poverty is the condition of not having enough income to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. Because children are dependent on others, they enter or avoid poverty by virtue of their family’s economic circumstances. Children cannot alter family conditions by themselves, at least until they approach adulthood.

EFFECTS ON CHILDREN 

1. Poor children are two times more likely than non poor children to have stunted growth, iron deficiency, and severe asthma.

2. Poverty placed children at greater risk of dying before their first birthdays than did a mother's smoking during pregnancy.

3. Child spends in poverty, there is the chance that the child will fall behind grade level by age 18.

4. The Children's Defense Fund estimates that every year of child poverty at current levels will cost the nation at least $36 billion in lost future productivity alone, because poor children will be less educated and less effective workers.

5. These effects are compounded by the barriers children and their families encounter when trying to access physical and mental health care. 

6. Poverty is linked with negative conditions such as substandard housing, homelessness, inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to health care, unsafe neighborhoods, and under resourced schools which adversely impact our nation’s children.

7. Poorer children and teens are also at greater risk for several negative outcomes such as poor academic achievement, school dropout, abuse and neglect, behavioral and socioemotional problems, physical health problems, and developmental delays.

8. Children living in poverty are at greater risk of behavioral and emotional problems.

9. Poverty and economic hardship is particularly difficult for parents who may experience chronic stress, depression, marital distress and exhibit harsher parenting behaviors. These are all linked to poor social and emotional outcomes for children.

10. Exposure to environmental contaminants, e.g., lead paint and toxic waste dumps.