Poverty and Wages
I had no idea that 63% of all hourly wage jobs in Atlanta pay less than $10.50/hour or that six of the ten fastest growing jobs pay less than $10/hour. Even if an individual worked full-time, they would STILL bring home less than $1,800 a month and that does not factor in federal or state taxes. This budget is barely enough money for a single adult to survive or meet their basic monthly needs. Moreover, a family of three most definitely cannot survive on this income which results in the family being considered poor because the adult cannot support her family financially. Therefore, the family will need government assistance and cannot be self-sufficient.
Also, tip workers have it a lot worse because they only make about $2.13/hour and that has not changed since 1991. There really isn't much you can buy for $2.13. Even if you do not make the minimum wage in an hour, the workers are not compensated. I find that ridiculous and quite sad because sometimes being a tip worker may be the only job an individual may be qualified for. 62% of tip workers are woman and this contributes to the higher rates of poverty among single-female headed households.
The "In Search of Living Wage: Faith in Georgia" video explains the minimum wage issue very well and in depth. It was disheartening to watch the video and see how some individuals have to struggle day to day. Although the increase in minimum wage has helped thousands of workers, the government STILL needs to do more.
That is exactly the problem that emerges from having a minimum wage that fails to reflect inflation. The minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is not sufficient to pay all of the expenses associated with maintaining a household. It is really no wonder that so many people are in desperate need of governmental aid. It really is a sad reality that poses the threat of dragging even more people into poverty.
ReplyDeleteI agree that less than $10 is not enough for a family to live off on. The living wage is a great idea which would also provide health care, a major expense.
ReplyDeleteAlso speaking from experience, tip workers do get paid $2.13/hour, BUT with the tips, they do make over $10/hour majority of the time. Also majority of the time women get higher tips than men.
I completely agree that the government should do more. They definitely have the power to do so, however I think they purposely keep poverty around. It's almost like a business to them- it's not anything personal. It's like these class systems of poor, middle, and rich have to be established; there has to be that percentage of people who are in poverty and kept there.
ReplyDeleteWhile the minimum wage has increased, it's not a wage that one could rely on for himself or for a family (like you've already said in your blog). It really is disheartening to see that hard working people have to struggle and aren't able to live comfortable lives financially.
I agree! Minimum wage today is just not enough to help individuals get what they need. I don't know when the government is going to step up and truly help with jobs the poverty issue but it needs to be SOON. If the government is supposed to help, I wonder why they are not doing so. It really makes me wonder...
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