Quote:
Originally Posted by Ixtellor";p="
Oilguy "work hard, go to school"
Poor kids parents "drop out of school, McDonalds is paying $6.75!!!"
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This illustration hits the nail on the head.
Parents aren't the only factor though. What's one of the human drives that nature itself puts over most rational thought?
Another issue is that women in poor neighborhoods, just like a lot of women sent to college, are often taught that they "need a man". This creates a burden on competative men to be "successful" in terms of the environment.
For middle class/well-off guys... easy. Finish school. Get a good job. Hell, if you want you can marry a woman who is successful herself (this is believed to be one of the main reasons for an increase in space between classes, but that's another story).
For working class/poor guys... Who is the better man to go for in the eyes of the woman looking for a man to support her? The guy who sacrifices some work hours to go to school? Or the guy who works a couple dead-end jobs and makes more money?
It's not normal to find people far-sighted enough to realize the guy going to school is doing better. Hell... there aren't enough poor women out there far-sighted enough to realize they don't "need a man".
So peer and parent groups are one part of the poverty trap. I'd suggest the social insistence on maintaining gender roles is also a liability for the poor.