Before Social Welfare programs began prior to the 1930s what were the reasons people lived in poverty?

Question

Since most people seem to think a preponderance of people living off of social welfare is the reason why they live the way they do, then what were the reasons they lived in poverty before the 1930s?

Answer 1

you know...I know this is a startling idea, but poverty really isn't all that bad.

I grew up with my family being under the poverty line for most of my childhood. We always qualified for WIC and food stamps and my parent def had to do a lot of penny pinching, but life was fine. I never felt like I missed out on things, I always had food to eat (okay maybe not on payday, but food was coming) My parents were both well educated and my father had a good job (and was also going back to school for his masters) but we just lived in a poorer area that couldn't afford to pay him enough...

I think that's what "poverty" was back then...you work and you work hard, educated or not, but there is just a limit to what you can earn doing certain jobs...and since there was a lot of agricultural based jobs, that can be quite the unsteady career...same as it is now...poverty isn't bad, and we don't neccesarily need everyone to be above the poverty line.

We should all make sure our friends and neighbors are fed and clothed and then there would be no need for programs and there would be no such thing as "poverty"

Answer 2

Ummmm people looking for a hand out.....oh wait you said before welfare......umm uhh....oh man...you really trying to make me say it huh? I will not....I am sticking to my guns...sooo many people cried for a hand out the government just had to do something. So HA...I didn't say...r..HEY!...You sneaky lil....I said I wasn't going to say it.

in all seriousness poverty will always be there....sometimes it is just fate. Your fate can change (as far as your perception is concerned). Now fate is the broad answer...the actual means to a life a poverty is many. if it wasn't laziness, bad economics, bad economy, racism, bad education, or bad work ethic...I don't know.

Answer 3

They didn't choose to live in poverty... I hope that's not the case today, either, even with the Welfare program that we have. It's made to get people on their feet - not support them...

There has been poverty since the beginning of civilization as we know it. The people who can't work, or don't work, are very susceptible to it because of the lack of funds. Then there is health problems, plus job shortages that add to it.

Hope this helped...

Answer 4

The same reasons as today.  Lack of education, inability to get decent paying jobs, etc.  Shorter life spans left children to raise and support themselves.

The only difference was a lot of people didn't realize they were poor because all their neighbors had the same problems.

One of the things that helped was there was a strong middle class and middle class families helped their less fortunate family members.

The middle class has been eroded over the past years due to sending jobs overseas and other economic problems.

I say the Republican party loves poor people.  That's why they have created so many of them.

Answer 5

Because they couldn't find a job.

Answer 6

Are you really asking why were people poor or why they lived in poverty?  The way you worded the question makes me think you think they had a choice to live or not live in poverty then and that you think people have the choice today too.  I'm not exactly sure what you mean.  BUT... I think people were poor then because of social and economical reasons....sometimes within their control and sometimes outside of their control.  It doesn't matter when or where...we will always have poor people.

Answer 7

Many more reasons than you would be able to comprehend.

If either of your grandparents are alive ask either one of them.

Answer 8

Same reasons as today.

Except today, with the hand-out programs, the government actually encourages people to live with their hands out.

Answer 9

Lack of Education, Lack of Acceptance (racism, segregation). African-Americans in the 1930's had a hard time even finding a job because of their skin color. I've been researching, and did you know they are planning on getting people off Welfare....to increase poverty again?

Answer 10

Our economic system cannot function without poverty and unemployment.  We've constructed a system in which labor is priced as a commodity.  As such, full employment would drive up the cost of labor to such a degree that business would be unable to support it and there would be a collapse, resulting in layoffs and a return to some level of unemployment.  There are economic theories which do not commodify labor in this way, but they are completely unacceptable to the vast majority of Americans.  So, in short, there has always been, and always will be, unemployment and poverty in America, and the reason is exactly the same: a free-market capital economy cannot function without it.

Answer 11

A better question would be, what did poor people do to survive without welfare before 1930?

Much has changed since the introduction of welfare.

The most glaring change is the reason people collect welfare. Back in the 30's most people lived in rural areas and the most common occupation was farm laborer. Another occupation was factory worker.

People were displaced from these jobs by mechanization and huge numbers of unemployment resulted.

Even so the most common reason to get assistance back then was the death of the bread winner.

Flash forward to today and guess what the most common reason for welfare is?

Fatherless families, not dead just absent. The baby daddy syndrome.

Answer 12

Some of the reasons were the same as today.  They has little education, opportunity or resources for betterment.  In some cases they also faced prejudice against the religion, country of origin, gender...