Discuss your approach to studying poverty

Assignment Brief

Paper Instructions: Write at least 3 pages in MLA format with 5 academic references.

1. Discuss your approach to studying poverty - women & poverty, children & poverty, etc.and its application to microeconomics.
2. Discuss the information you used from at least 5 articles for the paper.
3. Discuss the relevancy of your paper topic to the concept of poverty and Maslow`s hierarchy of needs.
4. Why is the poverty type you presented occurring and what is a possible solution?
5. Is your poverty concept a micro concept of a macro concept?
6. Can you apply your paper topic to Florida: Why & why not?

Works cited page at the end.

Sample Answer

Women and Poverty: A Microeconomic Perspective

Poverty remains one of the most enduring challenges in societies worldwide, and its impact on women is especially severe due to gendered social and economic structures. My approach to studying women and poverty focuses on how gender inequality in wages, access to education, and caregiving responsibilities contribute to economic vulnerability for women. By applying microeconomic concepts such as labour supply, opportunity cost, and utility maximisation, this paper explores how women’s experiences of poverty are shaped by individual economic decisions and constraints. The analysis uses insights from five academic articles to understand the causes of women’s poverty, relate it to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, assess whether it is a micro or macroeconomic issue, and explore its application to Florida.

One key source is Pearce (1978), who introduced the concept of the "feminization of poverty," noting that single mothers and elderly women are more likely to experience poverty due to lower lifetime earnings and limited support systems. Pearce’s work provides a foundation for analysing how labour market participation and wage discrimination affect women’s income. From a microeconomic standpoint, this aligns with the theory of marginal productivity of labour, suggesting that women are often paid less due to perceived lower productivity or biased evaluation of their contributions.

A more recent article by Misra, Moller, and Budig (2007) highlights how policy environments influence women`s poverty. In nations with stronger welfare states, women are less likely to fall below the poverty line. This suggests that government intervention, such as childcare subsidies and paid parental leave, can shift the individual cost-benefit analysis of working women and influence their participation in the labour market. The presence or absence of such policies is significant in determining the opportunity cost of working, particularly for mothers.

Another article by Danziger and Gottschalk (1995) examines income inequality in the U.S. and finds that single mothers often face the greatest income gaps. This research supports the idea that women`s poverty is not only about low income but also income instability, which increases their vulnerability to external shocks. The utility theory in microeconomics explains how women in poverty must make difficult choices, between work, childcare, food, and healthcare, prioritising short-term survival over long-term wellbeing.

In Sen’s (1999) work on capabilities and freedom, he argues that poverty should not only be measured in income terms but in terms of capabilities, such as the ability to access education and healthcare. Women’s poverty often limits their ability to participate fully in society, restricting their consumer choices and economic agency. From a microeconomic angle, this lack of freedom restricts their ability to maximise utility and make choices that improve wellbeing.

Finally, Blank (2000) addresses policy implications for poverty reduction, recommending earned income tax credits and minimum wage increases. These tools can be analysed through microeconomic models of labour supply incentives, where increased net income encourages women to enter the workforce. However, such measures must consider the elasticity of labour supply among women, especially those with caregiving duties.

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