knowledge of their clients. How individuals and groups are treated from a sociopolitical (macro) level and a daily individual interactional level (micro) affects their views and understanding of the world in which they live. From a person-in-environment perspective, individuals act upon the environment, and the environment acts and reacts to the individual. Thus, while individuals help shape the environment around them, the environment also shapes the individual (Zastrow, Kirst-Ashman, & Hessenauer, 2019). A demographic breakdown of the diversity in the U.S. is provided in Table 1. This breakdown may help counselors better conceptualize clients’ diverse experiences. Table 1 summarizes the U.S. population by race/ethnicity. Table 1: U.S. Population by Ethnicity and Race: 2020 Race/Ethnicity Percentage White 57.8% Hispanic 18.7% Black 12.4% Asian 6% Note : Adapted from US Census: US sees unprecedented multiracial growth, the decline in the White population for first time in history. USA TODAY. https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/ politics/2021/08/12/how-2020-census-change-how-we-look-america- what-expect/5493043001/ Poverty The percentage of individuals living in poverty in the U.S. is 13.5% (Proctor et al., 2016). However, poverty is not equally distributed throughout the American population. Women, children, and racial and ethnic minorities experience poverty more often than men, working adults, and White people; individuals with disabilities experience poverty more often than those without current disabilities (Institute on Disability, 2016; Proctor et al., 2016; Tucker & Lowell, 2016; U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). The unequal distribution of poverty across the population reflects the disparities in opportunities these populations experience throughout their lives. Some examples of the difference in opportunities include a disproportionate number of racial and ethnic minorities living in low-income neighborhoods and experiencing insufficient educational opportunities, as well as women continuing to earn less than men (the most current data concludes that women earn 81 cents for every dollar men earn; Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016; Mode, Evans, & Zonderman, 2016). Research shows that the poverty rate in the U.S. is increasing. Healthcare professionals must be aware of data relating to poverty and work to decrease the growing problem of poverty. Poverty is closely connected with poorer mental health in societies across the world (Ridley et al., 2020). Poverty is associated with volatile income and expenditures. Poverty can strain a person’s physical and mental health. Many low-income people work long hours to pay bills and provide for their families. This lifestyle can impose immense stress and reduce a person’s cognitive ability. The resulting worries and uncertainty can exacerbate mental health. Ridley et al. (2020) examine the connection between poverty and mental illness. They note that poor mental health can result from the fear and reality of poverty. “The anticipation of economic shocks, not just their occurrence, may cause mental illness. People living in poverty face substantial uncertainty and income volatility and juggle what are, in effect, complex nancial portfolios, often without access to formal insurance… Sustained long-run exposure to stress from managing this volatility may threaten mental health.” Ridley concludes that mental illness could increase a person’s risk of poverty, for example, “by capturing attention, causing excessive rumination and distorting people’s memories and beliefs about their abilities.” Depression, they suggest, may cause people to
Clinicians must be careful not to make sweeping generalizations regarding any population. For instance, Latin American immigrants (the most significant number of immigrants in 2010) come from many countries: 29.3% from Mexico, 7.6% from other Central American countries, and 9.3% from the Caribbean Islands (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Further, clients are influenced by various factors, including the level of acculturation (to be discussed later), immigration experience, experiences with discrimination, and ability to speak English. Therefore, clinicians must ask clients about their personal experiences and significant life events. Some cultural generalizations may help clinicians increase their knowledge of specific cultures and enhance their understanding of a portion of clients’ differing experiences. However, this is not intended to shift the clinician’s focus away from developing a better understanding of the dynamics of race, immigration, and other facets of diversity within the current social, economic, and political environment of the U.S. Clinicians are better prepared to understand and understand and help the natural climate in which their diverse clients live and that climate’s role in accommodating or marginalizing them. Moreover, it will be better for counselors to help their clients if they understand how they are accommodated and marginalized by American culture. Race, ethnicity, and immigration status are a few facets of diversity affecting clients. Diversity includes socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and gender identification. These facets of diversity can serve as dimensions that marginalize and oppress individuals. have diminished belief in their abilities, while anxiety may cause someone to be more risk-averse in the labor market. Women in Poverty More women than men are living in poverty in the U.S. Men who have migrated for employment or to avoid conscripted military work often have left women behind. Migrating across hundreds of miles and rugged terrain is not feasible for women and children. Basic information about women in poverty includes the following (Bleiweis et al., 2020): ● Of the 38.1 million people living in poverty in 2018, 56%, or 21.4 million, were women. ● Nearly 10 million women live in deep poverty, falling below 50% of the federal poverty line. ● The highest poverty rates are experienced by Native American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) women, Black women, and Latinas. About one in four AIAN women live in poverty. This is the highest poverty rate among women or men of any racial or ethnic group. ● Unmarried mothers have higher poverty rates than married women, with or without children, and unmarried women without children. Nearly 25% of unmarried mothers live below the poverty line. ● Women with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty than both men with disabilities and persons without disabilities. Women with disabilities have a poverty rate of 22.9%, compared to 17.9% for men with disabilities and 11.4% for women without disabilities. Reasons Why Women Live in Poverty. The impact of sexism and racism on society limits women’s employment opportunities. Some of the causes of poverty in women include the following issues. Occupational Segregation into Low-Paying Jobs. Women are disproportionately represented in certain occupations, especially low-paying jobs. This is due, in part, to the perception of gender roles that assume women’s work is low-skilled and undervalued. This is especially true for women of color (Bleiweis et al., 2020). Lack of Work-Family Policies. Issues such as insufficient paid family and medical and earned sick leave impact women’s ability to manage work and caregiving. Childcare is expensive and sometimes hard to access.
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