Even though there are many different cultures and ethnic groups in the world, many of those people may face the same problems. According to the book Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action, a social problem is be defined as "a social condition that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world" (Leon-Guerrero, 2015). There are many different problems that people may face, including trying to cope with mental or physical illnesses or financial problems. Society today has become adapted to particular social problems that sometimes people do not see it as a problem anymore. Poverty is just one of those social problems that some people may not view as an issue anymore. Poverty is a social problem alone, but poverty may also be connected to many other social or health problems and consequences for a family. Poverty alone carries multiple difficulties for children, but along with poverty, children may endure more problems. .
According to the World Bank, poverty can be defined as receiving one dollar and twenty-five cents per day (Leon-Guerrero, 2015). Poverty is not only defined by not having enough money to survive. Poverty also includes not having a job, fearing the future, not being able to receive an education, and not being able to see a doctor when a person is sick. There are two types of poverty: absolute poverty and relative poverty. Absolute poverty refers to "lack of basic necessities", which include shelter, food, and income (Leon-Guerrero, 2015). Relative poverty describes people who are not able to receive and enjoy life like other people in society do. People who live in relative poverty are able to afford the basic necessities but cannot allow themselves to go out and spend their money on luxury items. Federal guidelines and the poverty threshold are used to determine poverty. The poverty threshold is "the original federal poverty measure" and is used to estimate the number of people in poverty (Leon-Guerrero, 2015).