Reason behind higher poverty rates among ethnic minority families explored
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has published new research revealing that families from Bangladeshi, Black African, and Pakistani ethnic minority backgrounds are five times more likely to live in deep poverty compared to other UK households. This groundbreaking study offers fresh insights into the complex causes of poverty among ethnic minority groups in the UK.
The research, published on Monday 2 December, used official survey data to calculate poverty rates and found that traditional protective factors such as employment are less effective within these minority groups. The JRF emphasised the need to constantly dig deeper to understand the relationship between racial injustice and poverty.
According to the data, 15% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi social renters are living in deep poverty, compared to 6% of white private and social renters. The rates for Pakistani people in private rent are 17%, and for Black African they reach 20%. Even more concerning, 7% of Bangladeshi and Black African families with all adults in full-time work still face deep poverty, a statistic almost as high as the 10% of white households where no one is in employment.
The JRF attributes this disparity to a combination of economic, social, and structural factors. Economic challenges and low incomes are driving deep poverty, with these ethnic minority families often having lower household incomes that make it difficult to pay bills and afford essentials. Higher unemployment rates or insecure work, rising living costs, especially rent increases in cities and regions with significant minority populations, and multi-dimensional poverty (including fuel poverty, child poverty, and limited access to essential services) also disproportionately affect these ethnic communities.
Structural inequalities and systemic barriers, such as discrimination in the labour market, limited access to quality jobs, and barriers to education and skills development, contribute to the entrenched nature of poverty in these groups. The JRF's research identifies significant unexplained factors contributing to higher rates of poverty among ethnic minority groups, including direct discrimination, structural inequalities, and racism.
Paul Kissack, CEO of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, stated that the known drivers of deep and persistent poverty in the UK cannot fully explain the greater scale and persistence of deep poverty amongst families from Bangladeshi, Black African, and Pakistani ethnic minority backgrounds. The JRF is calling on authorities to better focus on addressing these underlying issues to reduce poverty rates.
Focusing only on well-known drivers to understand poverty for these ethnic minority groups no longer holds up, according to the JRF. The research outlines that these ethnic minority groups are facing higher rates of deep poverty due to a combination of standard risk factors and underlying issues such as discrimination, inequalities, and racism. The JRF's research is the first to identify significant unexplained factors contributing to higher rates of poverty among ethnic minority groups.
- The Joseph Rowntree Foundation's research highlights concerning statistics regarding mental health, as 7% of Bangladeshi and Black African families with all adults in full-time work still face deep poverty, a statistic nearly equivalent to the 10% of white households where no one is employed.
- In light of the JRF's findings, it is crucial to expand the scope of workplace-wellness and health-and-wellness initiatives to address not only physical health but also the mental health impacts of deep poverty among ethnic minority groups in the UK, given the significant unexplained factors contributing to higher rates of poverty among these communities, including direct discrimination, structural inequalities, and racism.
