Deck 15: Poverty and Inequality

Question 1

According to the theory of cumulative disadvantage, inequality begins with those who have greater resources and more opportunities to _____ additional resources.

A) occupy
B) own
C) acquire
D) develop

Answer 1

C

Question 2

All of the following are advantages of the Retirement Equity Act of 1984 except that:

A) pensions for married couples must be joint and survivor annuities.
B) pension is considered a part of property settlement in divorces.
C) under no terms can survivor's benefits be waived.
D) the act applies only to private sector workers.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following countries has credited a mother or a father with 75 percent of average earnings for one year for each child raised?

A) Sweden
B) Denmark
C) Germany
D) Switzerland

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Gender inequality in old age, especially economic resources, can be attributed to:

A) low labor force participation.
B) low educational achievement.
C) familial responsibilities.
D) the type of occupations in which women are employed.

Question 5

Data have indicated that women earn lower wages than men. In 2009, women aged from 25 to 34 earned _____ percent as much as men.

A) 77
B) 40
C) 10
D) 88

Question 6

Among older men and women, regardless of their ethnic group, women are less likely to receive income from:

A) pensions.
B) assets.
C) stocks.
D) Social Security.

Question 7

In which European country are there virtually no poor elderly people?

A) Sweden
B) Italy
C) Holland
D) Denmark

Question 8

Identify an accurate statement about spouse and widow's benefits.

A) Only wives are eligible for a spouse or a widow's benefit.
B) Today a surviving spouse of a deceased worker is eligible for a full benefit at age 70.
C) In the United States, the law requires a woman to be married to a spouse for a minimum of 10 years to be eligible for a spouse benefit.
D) A surviving spouse of a deceased worker is eligible for a reduced benefit at age 60.

Question 9

Pension-splitting refers to:

A) pension becoming part of a divorce decree and being applied to the divorced spouse.
B) an agreement such that each spouse gets half of the other's pension.
C) an arrangement that gay people can receive a portion of their partners' pension.
D) an agreement that the federal government will regulate pension rights.

Question 10

Inequality in old age is not a random pattern but a consistent one. A person's _____ is a major factor in her/his income security in old age.

A) assets
B) inheritance
C) work history
D) pension benefits

Question 11

One recommendation to achieve gender equality in Social Security benefits is to take into account the differences between men and women and utilize measures to compensate the disadvantaged gender. This is referred to as:

A) gender neutrality.
B) gender equalization.
C) gender recognition.
D) gender compensation.

Question 12

The Hispanic/Latino group with the lowest rates of labor force participation and lowest level of education is:

A) Cubans.
B) Columbians.
C) Mexicans.
D) Puerto Ricans.

Question 13

With respect to Social Security, people who receive the highest lifetime earnings receive the _____ benefits.

A) best
B) highest
C) longest
D) consistent

Question 14

Although younger women in the United States are working more continuously than did women of older generations, it is estimated that by 2030, only _____ percent will have contributed the full 35 years to Social Security.

A) 60
B) 40
C) 25
D) 15

Question 15

Because of a lack of housing wealth, most older African Americans have less income security for their old age, and an emergency can deplete their resources. Such unequal distribution of wealth perpetuates:

A) powerlessness.
B) classism.
C) cumulative disadvantage.
D) racism.

Question 16

The concept of "social class" includes all of the following dimensions except:

A) income.
B) prestige.
C) power.
D) cumulative wealth.

Question 17

Older adults have numerous sources of income. The largest source of ethnic/racial disparity is income from:

A) pensions.
B) savings.
C) assets.
D) antiques.

Question 18

_____ are most likely to live in deep poverty among the minority groups in the United States.

A) Hispanics
B) Asian Americans
C) Blacks
D) Arab Americans

Question 19

In the context of Social Security benefits, which of the following statements is true about replacement rate?

A) It actually favors households with a single earner.
B) Couples with two high-earning spouses receive the highest benefits in terms of replacement rates.
C) It is the percentage of household savings that Social Security replaces for a deceased spouse.
D) Replacement rates are the same for earning and non-earning couples.

Question 20

_____ as a group have higher income than others classified as Hispanic in the United States.

A) Mexicans
B) Puerto Ricans
C) Cubans
D) Colombians

Question 21

_____ have the highest unemployment rates and the highest mortality rates of any minority in the United States.

A) Hispanics
B) Asian Americans
C) African Americans
D) American Indians

Question 22

The United States is the only country where single elderly women have lower rates of poverty than do older couples.

Question 23

What accounted for the high number of Native American elderly left alone on reservations in the years 1952-1972?

A) the relocation of more than 100,000 Native Americans to urban areas
B) the high death rate of middle-aged Native Americans
C) the reorganization of reservations by age
D) the refusal of the elderly to leave the reservations when the government attempted to force them to do so

Question 24

_____ constitute the largest Native American group.

A) Seminoles
B) Creeks
C) Navajos
D) Cherokees

Question 25

The Indian Health Services was established to provide health care for American Indians at no cost. One of the problems of this service is that it provides few chronic and long-term care services.

Question 26

More than half of the Native American population lives on reservations.

Question 27

For Native Americans, health care is provided by the Indian Health Services. This service is the responsibility of the:

A) tribe.
B) state government.
C) local government.
D) federal government.

Question 28

Dual entitlement under Social Security refers to men and women who have worked outside the home and are eligible for worker benefits as well as for benefits as a spouse.

Question 29

Hispanic/Latinos are ineligible for Medicare because of:

A) language barriers.
B) employment in occupations not covered by Social Security.
C) low wages.
D) seasonal work.

Question 30

One's access to a pension is determined by one's employment.

Question 31

Older Hispanics and African Americans had irregular patterns of work because:

A) they primarily worked in high-skilled jobs where they were subject to high mental and physical stress.
B) they had higher mortality rates than any other ethnic minority in the United States.
C) they typically worked in sectors of the labor force where layoffs are common or work is seasonal.
D) Native Indians were the preferred labor force over these groups.

Question 32

Many Chinese males migrated alone to the West Coast to work on the railroads during the early part of the 20^th century. These elderly men currently have:

A) no pensions.
B) no family support system.
C) no private property.
D) no children.

Question 33

Replacement rate is the percentage of pre-retirement income that Social Security replaces for a retiree.

Question 34

American Indians are the most poorly educated of all minority groups.

Question 35

The prosperity of some Asian groups can be explained by the high value they give to:

A) investment/savings.
B) family support system.
C) hard work.
D) education.

Question 36

High suicide rates have reduced the number of elderly Native Americans.

Question 37

All state and local government workers' pension plans are regulated by the Retirement Equity Act of 1984.

Question 38

A reason why older African Americans have lower housing wealth is that the Federal Housing Authority encouraged the practice of redlining.

Question 39

The poverty rates for older Asian women are much lower than that for white women.

Question 40

The disparity in income by ethnicity/race can be explained by the type of employment that a person had before retirement.

Question 41

Marriage has a positive effect on a woman's finances in old age.

Question 42

What might younger African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos do to limit the pattern of cumulative disadvantages during their older years?

Question 43

Discus the patterns of gender inequality in old age.

Question 44

Since women of all ethnic groups are involved in relatively more unpaid household work, child care, and other responsibilities, what are some programs that might assist them with adequate sources of income in their retirement years?