Recognizing the child in child poverty

Abstract

In the past few decades, a particular need for a child-centered perspective has emerged, based on evidence that children are more susceptible to environmental and social risks, and that they have different needs than adults do. This article examines issues affecting children in existing measurements and presents conceptual considerations for future work toward defining and measuring child poverty. Current definitions and measures of poverty are generally circumscribed to levels of income, satisfaction of basic needs, and issues of basic human rights; in a few cases, some well-being measures include child health, nutrition, and education. These limitations likely impede the chances that researchers will be able to capture and understand the effects of other important aspects of this phenomenon. Measures need to address the diversity of issues and dimensions that current child developmental frameworks define as the most important. A broader approach to definition and measurement that includes these developmental issues would not only affect the way we understand poverty but also inform the design of future research, social programs, and policies.