Measuring child poverty: proposed changes will push families into unacceptable hardship

摘要

Poverty is a lifestyle choice, according to government rhetoric. And although research suggests otherwise, the government wants to redefine poverty and do so by removing all income and material deprivation measures from the Child Poverty Act. Instead, it proposes to measure it based on workless homes and educational attainment. Gill Main writes many parents in poverty are actually in work, but still live on limited resources in order to provide for their children. Their saving measures include skimping on food and postponing dentist appointments, realities that make it hard to see how the government’s proposals will benefit our society.