Urban Men In Poverty: Problems and Solutions Geoffrey L.
Wallace La Follette School of Public Affairs Institute for Research
on Poverty University of Wisconsin - Madison
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Overview of My Talk The case for focusing on male poverty
Poverty measurement Male poverty at the national level
Characteristics of men at high risk for poverty Characteristics of
poor men Income sources and other resources available to poor men
and their families The 2013 Wisconsin Poverty Report
Conclusions
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Why Focus on Men? Spillovers the economic circumstances of men
affect the economic well-being of women and children Marriage male
socioeconomic status affects the marital prospects for women, which
in turn affects child and female poverty Child-support the economic
circumstances of men affects their ability to meet child support
obligations, which in turn affects child poverty Men are a source
of family income 40% of men live with children One-third of poor
men live with children
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Why Focus on Men?, Cont. Troubling trends for less educated
men, particularly blacks There has been a mass retreat from
employment among less-skilled men 2000 annual employment rates: Men
ages 18-64 with a high school education or less: 84% Black men ages
18-64 with a high school education or less: 73% 2013 annual
employment rates: Men ages 18-64 with a high school education or
less: 73% Black men ages 18-64 with a high school education or
less: 58% Less skilled men who do work have seen their earnings
decline substantially 20 percent decline in median wages for men
without a high school diploma between 1990 and 2013 (The Hamilton
Project, 2015) 13 percent decline in median wages for men with a
high school diploma or some college between 1990 and 2013 (The
Hamilton Project, 2015) Disappearing men for every 100 black women
ages 25-54 there are only 83 black men (The Upshot, April 20,
2015)
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Two Ways to Measure Poverty
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Pros and Cons of the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) Pros
Broader view of the resource sharing unit considers related
individuals in the same dwelling as well as cohabiters and
unrelated children to be part of the resource sharing unit Is
directly affected by the policy levers that are currently used to
assist low income populations Non-cash benefits such as food
stamps, housing assistance, school lunch programs, and energy
assistance Taxes and refundable tax credits Out-of-pocket medical
expenses and work expenses (including child care expenses) Cons Not
officially available before 2009 Does not facilitate comparisons
over time I will focus on the SPM
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Overall Male Poverty Rates are Low
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Men at Risk: Central City Residents
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Men at Risk: Young Men
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Men at Risk: Blacks and Hispanics
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Men at Risk: Men Who have Not Attended College, Especially High
School Dropouts
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Men at Risk: Nonfamily Individuals and Men in Families Units
not Headed by a Couple
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Men at Risk: Working less than FTFY
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Who are the Poor Men? We get some hints from examining poverty
rates However, a group that has a high poverty rate, but represents
a small share of the population might not represent a very large
percentage of the poor. Likewise, a group that has a low poverty
rate, but represents a large share of the population might
represent a large share of the poor. Lets look more closely at the
composition of the pool of poor men What characteristics do they
have? What sort of living arrangements are they in?
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Distribution of Poor Men Across Location: More than 75% of Poor
Men Live in Metro Areas
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Distribution of Poor Men Across Racial Groups
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Distribution of Poor Men Across Education Levels
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Distribution of Poor Men Across Family Type
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Distribution of Poor Men Across 2013 Employment Status
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A Closer Look at the Employment Status of Poor Men
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Resource Sources of Poor Men: Three Cases These groupings
roughly split poor men into thirds Poor nonfamily men men who are
not cohabitating and do not live with other relatives Poor men in
families without children men who live in family units (including
cohabiters) without children Poor men in families with children men
who live in family units (including cohabiters) with children
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Resource Sources: Poor Nonfamily Men
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Resource Sources: Poor Men in Families Without Children
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Resource Sources: Poor Men in Families With Children
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Poverty Increased Slightly in 2013, According to the Official
and WPM
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Milwaukee and La Crosse counties have poverty rates that are
higher than the state rate of 10.9% The WOW counties, Fond du Lac,
and many of the counties that border Minnesota south of the Twin
Cities have lower rates of poverty than the state average.
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Overall the rate of male poverty in Wisconsin is low (9.7%)
Male poverty rates in most parts of Milwaukee County are higher
than the state average There are large differences in poverty rates
within Milwaukee County By far the highest rates of poverty within
the county are in the central city (23.7%)
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Conclusions Male poverty is an urban phenomenon more than 75%
of poor men live in metro areas Characteristics of men at elevated
risk for poverty Reside in central city Younger than 25 years old
Black or Hispanic HS dropout or HS grad with no college Not in
married couple families Not working FTFY These same groups make up
a large share of poor men Evidence of barriers to employment High
rates of self-reported disability among poor men 25-64 that were
not employed High rates of self-reported disability and difficulty
finding work among poor black men ages 25-64 who were not
employed
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Conclusions, cont. What income resources are important to poor
men depends on their living arrangements Non-family individuals Not
likely to receive cash, non-cash transfers, or benefit from tax
credits Most pay payroll taxes and have substantial deductible
expenses (work expenses, and out-of- pocket medical expenses) Men
in families without children Cash transfers other than UI, welfare,
and SSI are important The majority pay taxes and have substantial
deductible expenses (particularly out-of-pocket medical expenses)
Men in families with children Non-cash transfers are important This
group benefits the most from tax credits modally and on average
they receive net benefits from the tax system They also have
substantial deductible expenses (work expenses and out-of-pocket
medical expenses)
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Conclusions, cont. Out-of-pocket medical expenses are a
substantial drain on the resources of poor men In 2013 most were
not eligible for Medicaid In states that expanded Medicaid under
the Affordable Care Act we should see declines in SPM poverty (all
else equal).