Family Poverty in Diverse Contexts

Book excerpt: Family Poverty in Diverse Contexts addresses the context of poverty in the United States and focuses on poverty issues that family members must confront as they move through the life course. This edited collection provides a unique perspective that draws together macro and micro research about how poverty affects families throughout their lives, increasing risks and reducing opportunities at every stage. Individual chapters emphasize the context of poverty in the United States, then go on to examine specific life cycle stages and what happens when poverty intersects with family concerns. Contributing authors are respected experts in their fields and represent a broad range of disciplines and perspectives including child development, community health, education, family studies, gerontology, disability, public policy, social work and sociology. Family Poverty in Diverse Contexts includes a range of pedagogical features to enhance learning such as exercises and discussions relating to each chapter, which will encourage readers to think critically and apply the knowledge to their own lives. It will interest students, academics and researchers of sociology, family studies, social work and health as well as other related disciplines.