Berlin Poverty Comparison to Columbus

In my previous blog entry, I discussed the situation of poverty in Columbus, Ohio. As discussed in that entry, the percentage of people living under the poverty line in Columbus is at 23.9%, which is relatively low for a Midwest city. The poverty rate in Berlin is similar, but is much higher in comparison to the rest of the country. Euronews reports that 21.4% of people are living under the poverty line in Berlin, compared to 15.6% in the rest of Germany, differing by report.

“Unemployment is sinking, the country is booming, but poverty and inequality are on the rise” (Somaskanda). The major issue seems to be that the the wage gap is increasing — the rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer. Labor protections have been slowly reduced every year, and the working poor are growing in number. Interestingly, one article called this phenomenon the “Americanization of the labor market.” It is  something that is now normalized in America that other countries are also noticing.

In Germany, the plan to aid those plighted by poverty was called “Agenda 2010” and helped employ those looking for work. Although this did get people back in the workforce, a livable wage was not being provided and the work was only temporary. Many people juggle several of these jobs and still have no way to advance themselves if they are not young and full of potential. One of the issues in Germany is that people refuse to accept the reality of the rising poverty, as they still see Germany as a powerful, rich country, and it is easy to ignore. Similarly, I think that Americans understand that a lot of people do live in poverty, but may be oblivious to the sheer number.

Soures:

http://www.dw.com/en/massive-rich-poor-gap-in-german-society/a-19067611

http://www.euronews.com/2015/02/20/highest-number-of-germans-below-poverty-line-since-reunification/

Rich Germany Has a Poverty Problem