Identifying the Poor: Analysis of Impoverished Single-Mother Households.

As part of research into the perceptions of poverty in Japan, the current paper examines perceptions on the part of poor single mothers and suggests issues for future research. The survey revealed that even single mothers receiving welfare benefits tended not to perceive poverty as an immediate issue, but rather to see it as a more marginal issue, i.e., as ‘someone's’ problem ‘somewhere.’ Major factors behind the hesitation in directly calling for broader attention to their own problems included the following: (1) not having the time in their daily lives, (2) bias in the information they get, (3) the lack of direct connection between policy and their lives, and (4) not knowing who to call out to. In addition to feeling a sense of resignation and the sense that they have no choice but to treat their problem as a matter of personal responsibility, it was also found that the women had unconsciously developed coping strategies and attitudes designed to avoid criticism from those around them, such as purposefully acting with reserve or thinking it better not to vocally address the issue of poverty. For their small voices to reach the larger society, it is necessary for each and every one of us to turn our attention in a conscious effort to all aspects of the lives of people living in poverty. With regard to perceptions of poverty on the part of social workers, who are in a position to speak on behalf of the poor, it is necessary to focus on the gap in their respective value systems between those giving assistance and those receiving it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]