Final answer:
Relative poverty is defined as individuals or families earning less than half of a nation's median income, unable to attain a standard of living considered normal or average. It contrasts with absolute poverty, where basic necessities for survival are lacking. In the U.S., the working poor often experience relative poverty despite full-time employment.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the widely accepted definition of relative poverty, individuals or families that earn less than half of the nation's median income are considered to be living in poverty because they lack the resources necessary for a decent standard of living, such as food and shelter, jeopardizing their day-to-day survival. The poverty line is an economic measure that reflects the income threshold below which a person is considered poor. In the United States, the poverty threshold in 2021 was set at $12,880 for an individual and $26,500 for a family of four.
Relative poverty differs from absolute poverty, where individuals lack even the most basic necessities like food, clean water, and safe housing. In contrast, relative poverty compares an individual's lifestyle to the average lifestyle of society, emphasizing the inability to achieve a standard of living that is considered normal or average within a given country. This can affect even those who are employed but do not earn enough to rise above the poverty threshold, known as the working poor.
Factors such as owning a home, having reliable transportation, and the ability to take vacations contribute to the standard of living and, by extension, one's quality of life. However, wealth distribution in the U.S. is significantly uneven, with a small portion of the population controlling a significant portion of the nation's wealth. Such economic disparity leads to situations where people struggle despite working full-time jobs, particularly impacting single-parent households, commonly resulting in what is known as the 'feminization of poverty.'