This document discusses categories of the poor in the Caribbean region. It identifies three main groups that are vulnerable to poverty: (1) the elderly, women, children and youth, as women often have little control over resources and are responsible for the welfare of others, perpetuating the cycle of poverty; (2) single-parent female-headed households, which are a significant trend in the Caribbean and poverty deeply impacts these families; (3) indigenous people, who face marginalization and are less likely to have economic and political power, so they and their culture tend to live in poverty with lack of access to education, amenities, and discrimination in finding jobs.

1. CAPE Sociology
Unit Two
Poverty and Social Development
Categories of the Poor
1. The elderly, women children and youth: Feminists have stated that
poverty is feminized. Women are more vulnerable to poverty because they
have little control over resources, the conditions under which they obtain
these resources as well as the degree of responsibility that they have for the
welfare of others. There is hidden poverty because women are more likely to
feed others before themselves when little food is available (Barnard and
Burgess).
In the Caribbean women are often marginalized through sexual
discrimination in the work place. This has far reaching effects not only on the
women but n those who depend on them which are typically their children
and the elderly. When women suffer from social injustice the effect is passed
on to the children and the elderly since the Caribbean is largely
characterized by female-headed households.(Mohammed 2007) As a
consequence , the children may find it difficult to break from the cycle of
poverty.
2. Single-parent families: One of the significant trends in the Caribbean
is the single-parent female headed households. The explanation given in the
section-the elderly, women, children and youth- has given a background of
the effect that poverty has on the single parent household
3. Indigenous people: Contemporary Caribbean society has a number of
indigenous peoples which live in various islands these include: the Garifuna,
Kekci and Mopan of Belize as well as the Carib, Arekuna and Waiwai of
Guyana. All of these people are marginalized in their countries since they do
not have the economic and political power of the other inhabitants of their
nations.
They are most likely to subjected to and affected by poverty since they and
their culture are thought to be inferior. The Indigenous people of the
Caribbean tend to live in poverty because they tend to be isolated; lack
proper amenities marry early and have large families. Few of them have
access to education because it may involve travel and living expenses which
may be too expensive for the family. In addition indigenous people are most
often ostracized and discriminated against in their societies so they find it
difficult to find jobs. The poverty cycle therefore continues (Mohammed
2007).