Continuity in Poverty Along Family Lines: A Reexamination of the Intergenerational Cycle of Poverty

Abstract

The phrase “cycle of poverty” conveys the idea that the persistence of poverty generation after generation is a consequence of the transmission of poverty from poor parents to their children. This paper challenges this idea and indicates, instead, that intergenerational continuity in poverty occurs selectively, both among and within poor families. It is suggested that there are identifiable principles of selection into poverty along family lines. We present data on the socioeconomic positions of parents and all their adult offspring in a sample of poor and near-poor families in Jerusalem. Inter- and intragenerational continuity in low social positions is examined with respect to the four variables of education, occupation, welfare, and housing. The different patterns of continuity demonstrated in each of the four variables we examine illustrate two principles of selection into low social positions along family lines.