Poor Children "Know Their Place": Perceptions of Poverty, Class, and Public Messages

Authors

Susan Weinger, Western Michigan University

Abstract

This qualitative study hears and clarifies some of the voices of children concerning how they feel their lives are circumscribed by living in poverty, by public messages about the poor, and by their views of their socioeconomic status. Twenty-four children between the ages of 5-12 years were interviewed using snapshots of different economic level homes in order to capture their uncensored responses. Findings reveal that the children view poverty as a deprivation, perceive societal messages as disparaging of the poor, and have some difficulty holding on to positive views of themselves. These children's thoughts about the realities of their lives helped to shape suggestions for social work practice

Recommended Citation

Weinger, Susan (1998) "Poor Children "Know Their Place": Perceptions of Poverty, Class, and Public Messages," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 25: Iss. 2, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.2490
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol25/iss2/6