My inquiry question is
“What are the greatest stressors/factors of children from low-income families?”
My first round of research will be dedicated to finding out where the main demographics of children with low-income families are from? And the conditions which are common within these environments.
Within Canada, over 5.8 million people live in poverty, While 2.75 million families live with low income. The key demographic who experiences these conditions are children alone, about 19.6% are below the ages of 18, and 36% of children with “lone-parent families”(2) do experience this as well.
Firstly, larger urban cities tend to have higher poverty rates due to numerous reasons. Those cities include Vancouver, leading with 20.4%, Toronto with 20.0%, Windsor and Abbotsford-Mission with 18.2% (1). The most common conditions within these cities and environments of which have high poverty rates include surging prices in housing and living, racialized individuals, and disabilities(3).
It is important to understand that while to us these percentages are just numbers, each part of this research represents an individual who is experiencing this issue. Especially children, the most common conditions which cause this type of environment are especially harsh on children and those under the age of 18. Many of which experience poor mental health, lack of security, poor physical health, social deprivation, and many more (4).
(1) citizens for public justice. (2018, October 15). Poverty Trends 2018. Citizens for public justice. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://cpj.ca/poverty-trends-2018/.
(2) census in brief. (2017, September 13). children living in Low-income households. Statistics in Canada. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016012/98-200-x2016012-eng.cfm.
(3) just the facts. (n.d.). Basic statistics about poverty in Canada. Canada without poverty. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://cwp-csp.ca/poverty/just-the-facts/.
(4) Child poverty: Causes and effects. Canadian Feed The Children. (2020, October 8). Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://canadianfeedthechildren.ca/the-feed/child-poverty-causes-and-effects/.