![]() Social theorists throughout history have rarely talked about poverty as such, but nonetheless their insights into the economic ordering and structure of society offer valuable ideas for understanding poverty. Much sociological theory is directed at understanding social change. Starting out life in poverty means a greater risk of poverty in later life. To a large extent, people’s social class positions still influence the opportunities open to them.The ways in which institutions such as public or welfare delivery services can negatively stereotype those experiencing poverty has also been shown to be important in stigmatising and disadvantaging those experiencing poverty.A particular concern is with how the spending patterns of those in the greatest poverty are often subject to stigmatisation. On a related topic, sociologists have pointed to the importance of stigma and shame in understanding the experience of poverty.Yet research has shown that social class and processes of class reproduction remain important, particularly for the continuity of poverty over time and across generations. Some sociologists have pointed to the declining influence of social class in the UK.Others have argued that poverty can be better understood as a result of the ways in which resources and opportunities are unequally distributed across society. Some sociologists, especially those writing in the 1970s and 1980s, have tended to explain poverty by referring to people’s moral failings, fecklessness or dependency cultures.Sociologists are interested in how resources in society are distributed.In looking to explain poverty, sociologists have often tried to balance the relative importance of social structures (how society is organised) and the role of individual agency – people’s independent choices and actions.Sociological thinking focuses on the structure and organisation of society and how this relates to social problems and individual lives.This report is one of four reviews looking at poverty from different perspectives. the ways that those experiencing poverty can be negatively stereotyped by institutions such as public or welfare delivery services has also been shown to be important in stigmatising and disadvantaging those experiencing poverty.sociologists point to the importance of stigma and shame in understanding the experience of poverty and.some sociologists have pointed to the declining influence of social class in the UK, yet research shows that social class and processes of class reproduction remain important – the opportunities open to people are still influenced, to a large extent, by their social class positions.some sociologists have tended to explain poverty by referring to people’s moral failings, fecklessness or dependency cultures, while others have argued that it can be better understood as a result of how resources and opportunities are unequally distributed across society. ![]() This report discusses contested concepts that relate to how we might understand poverty from a sociological/social theory perspective. ![]()
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