It's a commonly held belief in the UK, that people living in poverty are the unemployed, but recent surveys have shown that just over half of the 13 million people in poverty - surviving on less than 60% of the national median (middle) income - were from working families.
In the 2011/12 period, the amount of earnings before a household was said to be in poverty was £128 a week for a single adult; £172 for a single parent with one child; £220 for a couple with no children, and £357 for a couple with two children.
Thats REALLY low, and I can't see how one could survive on that. It's no wonder that food banks are so overwhelmed with customers.
Oxfam says :
"The UK is the world's six largest economy, yet 1 in 5 of the UK population live below our official poverty line, meaning that they experience life as a daily struggle." And:
"Work is invaluable for people: it provides a purpose, dignity, and, crucially, an income, enabling people to support themselves and their families. But, although work has been advocated as a route out of poverty, for more than four million in the UK it does not provide economic independence and may actually damage their health and well-being."
And the Rowntree Foundation has "Traditional families with stay-at-home mothers and fathers who work are now more likely to be poor than any other kind of family, a major study said yesterday.Many would be better off on benefits than living on the wages of a low-paid father"
And it's not looking good for the future either :~((((
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