Final answer:
The underclass often refers to the third or fourth generation living in poverty, a situation exacerbated by inadequate access to healthcare and education. Despite a higher poverty rate percentage among African Americans, the majority of individuals below the poverty line in the U.S. are white. Poverty primarily affects those in the South and West due to migration and immigration patterns.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term underclass often refers to those who are frequently the third or fourth generation to live in poverty and depend on public assistance. This segment of the population experiences systemic challenges, such as inadequate healthcare, limited education, and a lack of access to vital resources, which can perpetuate a cycle of poverty that is incredibly difficult to escape. It is important to note that while African Americans have a higher percentage of individuals living in poverty relative to other ethnic groups, most people in the U.S. living below the poverty line are white. The disparities in poverty levels among different races remain a serious problem, with the poverty rate for African Americans being three times greater than that for whites.
In historical context, poverty used to impact the elderly at the highest rates, but due to various societal changes and the establishment of welfare programs, the demographic and geographic patterns of poverty have changed. Poverty is most prevalent in the South of the United States. However, migration and immigration patterns over the past fifty years have also increased poverty in the West.
Members of the underclass live primarily in inner cities; many are unemployed or underemployed, performing low-wage menial tasks, if employed at all. This reality, paired with the essential but often insufficient support from welfare systems, contributes to more significant stress, poor health, and regular crises within this community.