Table of contentsPensioner povertySociological theories of povertyFunctionalist perspectiveMarxist perspectiveFeminist perspectiveSociological imaginationConclusionIn this essay I intend to address the problem of pensioner poverty retirees in the UK today. I will describe what pensioner poverty is and how sociological theories can offer insight into how it is constructed. I will also describe how C. Wright Mills talks about the sociological imagination and how this might help social workers understand retiree poverty. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Retirement PovertyPoverty is the state or condition of having little or no money, property or means of support, the condition of being poor, destitution. Individuals in a population are said to be in poverty when they do not have the basic resources necessary to participate in activities and benefit from living conditions considered acceptable in the society to which they belong. There are two types of poverty: relative poverty and absolute poverty. poverty. Absolute poverty is the minimum necessary to survive. Relative poverty is the lack of money, which poor people need to provide them with sufficient food, clothing, fuel and for their social inclusion with friends and local communities. There has been a reduction in pensioner poverty in this country over the past four decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, 40% of retirees in this country lived in poverty. As a society, that figure is now down to 14%. While this is a good thing, it remains a problem faced by many retirees living among us. An estimated 1.9 million pensioners were living in poverty in 2015/16, out of a total of 12 million in the UK. Why was there a difference in previous decades? Retirement poverty tends to increase during periods of strong economic growth, according to previous research. Indeed, working people's incomes can rise much faster than prices during these periods, while pensions tended in the past to follow prices more closely. This means that pensions are not increasing at the same rate. This can see working-age individuals move up, leaving retirees behind and unable to afford basic amenities. When prices rise, especially for fuel and food, concern increases. In the UK today, one in six pensioners live at or below the poverty line. Rising fuel and food prices in winter sometimes force retirees to choose between the two. Rising energy prices, leaky and energy inefficient housing and low incomes have resulted in the catastrophic situation of fuel poverty we find ourselves in today. In England, 1.14 million older people live in fuel poverty. And, most shamefully, there were 31,000 “excess winter deaths” in England and Wales last winter. Most of these deaths occurred among people aged 75 and older. Not to mention the health effects such as respiratory problems and depression, to name a few, that living in a cold house can cause. There are also social effects to consider, such as social isolation, with some people having to make difficult choices between heating their home or buying the food they need.they need. Retirees living on low, fixed incomes can only get by through their ingenuity and determination to avoid debt. Some retirees may be proud and reluctant to ask for help. Many people don't realize they're eligible for benefits, but they also say some feel too proud or embarrassed to apply, while others find the application process too intrusive. They may suffer in silence and not express how difficult life has become for them. them. Things like bills, shopping using coupons or finding the cheapest deals or maybe doing without some of the daily struggles that they have. Seniors are not taking advantage of the full range of benefits available to them, with a staggering amount of up to $5.5 billion going unclaimed each year. There are several significant barriers preventing older people living in poverty from qualifying for crucial means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit. Sometimes this can be due to a lack of knowledge and even a lack of awareness of what is available to them. Lack of knowledge about pension benefits has been identified as a key factor leading to older people not applying for them. Sometimes retirees assume they wouldn't qualify. When in reality they would be. The vast majority of seniors say they would apply if they thought they were eligible. However, older people often assume that this extra money is reserved for those who are worse off than they are, or that being a homeowner automatically disqualifies them, which is incorrect. Sociological Theories of PovertySociology offers many theories about why poverty exists in our society. I considered what functionalist, Marxist and feminist perspectives might have on the issue of pensioner poverty. Functionalist Perspective Functionalism is a perspective created by Emile Durkheim. He believed that society was composed of interconnected institutions (e.g. education, family, government) that depended on each other to function. Functionalists view society as being similar to the human body. Likewise, the body depends on the heart to pump blood to other vital organs like the lungs and brain. Functionalists see society as being constructed from different interdependent components such as family and education. Functionalists believe that poverty is a positive function for society as a whole, even though it is so difficult to imagine the benefits that could come from poverty. Functionalism is concerned with large-scale structural explanations of social life. Poverty is therefore understood in terms of the benefits it provides. For example, retirement poverty means that more and more older people are staying in work until older ages because they simply cannot afford it. This means that there are more people willing to work for low pay, which helps keep certain industries profitable and functioning. Poverty also creates jobs for doctors and nurses. If people didn't get sick they would become unemployed, charities would also cease to exist, meaning those who work in them would also be unemployed. Poverty also reassures the rest of society in a certain way. Poverty gives us a point of comparison. If we can see that we are doing..