Question

Read the following paragraph from the text.

It isn't right that—that if trends continue—by the year 2000 nearly all of the poor people in America will be women and children. The rules of a decent society say, when you distribute sacrifice in times of austerity, you don't put women and children first...
What is the author implying about the trends referred to in this paragraph?

Answer 1

Hey there! The author of this paragraph is implying that if current trends continue, a disproportionate number of poor people in America will be women and children by the year 2000. The author suggests that this is not right or fair, and that the "rules of a decent society" dictate that women and children should not be the first to bear the burden of sacrifice in times of austerity.

It is not clear from this paragraph alone what the specific trends are that the author is referring to, or what has caused these trends. However, the implication is that these trends are negative and that they are likely to have negative consequences for women and children in particular.