Task 2c: Reasons for child poverty in the UK

Outline of the texts

Task 2c requires you to discuss some of the reasons for child poverty in the UK, using the material in Appendix 3. The question also includes a short statement on the proportion of children living in poverty in the UK.

Appendix 3 includes a text and a graph on poverty and child poverty in the UK. The text notes that half a million British workers struggle with poverty because of low wages, less welfare support, and growing costs of living. As a result, these workers struggle with basic needs such as food, clothes for children, or accommodation. The article also mentions that about 5 million adults in the UK lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. The text ends by noting that children whose parents earn little money, beat them, or do drugs are more vulnerable to being expelled, engaging in criminal activities, or becoming parents as teenagers.

The graph included in Appendix 3 covers child poverty and overall poverty between 1995 and 2015. The graph shows a 30% poverty rate among children in the US in 2015, less than in 1995 when the ...