How fluid is poverty?

[tatt]

As part of some general studies homework one of my children came up with an article suggesting that people move in and out of poverty. Anyone know of any other analysis of the information available? Is there really an underclass as some politicinas claim?changing group in poverty

In reality there is no such thing as an “underclass”. The idea that there are whole streets and communities in Britain where no one works is a myth.

Even on Karen Matthews’s street in Dewsbury – now held up as the classic sink estate – the Guardian found this week that almost every household had someone in work.>>

That seems to assume that getting a job takes you out of poverty. I imagine that most people who look at such things believe that since their own job is paid so well.

I think the argument is that it takes you out of an "underclass" defined by attitudes like not wanting to work.

The bit I found most interesting was this claim

"Throughout the 1990s some 60 percent of the population spent at least one year in the bottom 30 percent of income distribution."

I don't really get what you're asking for.

Is it information on whether people move in and out of poverty?

Or whether there is/isn't such a thing as an underclass?

the way the goverment defines poverty mans that a statisitacly sigificant group of the population wil always be 'poor' - that is having an income 2/3 of the national average.

obviously people go in and out of this bracket, because their income changes, and because where '2/3 of average' sits changes.

Think I've found what I was after on the poverty site 1 million people in the poorest 1/5 of the population 2 years in 3. However looking at other tables on the site sugget that this is in part due to disability, specifically mental health issues.

Social mobility has reduced over the last 15 years i.e. if someone starts life poor they are more likely to stay poor.