As I grow older, I’ve come to realize that personal effort often pales in comparison to the power of existing social systems. Poverty isn’t just about the lack of financial resources—what’s even more disheartening is that discussions about poverty are usually led by those who have never experienced it themselves.
Personal responsibility is definitely a factor, but I doubt it is often the main factor of poverty. When we are talking about the extreme ends of poverty, the people who have very little in different countries, then their children will often struggle and be trapped in the same cycle as their parents. Take Pakistan as an example, you might have parents who struggle along in low paid jobs and ultimately end up sending their kids to help earn at an early age when you might otherwise expect them to be in education. Without education it is hard to move up the career ladder and you may end up doing manual work which can often be back breaking or expose you to very dangerous environments.