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million children worldwide of primary school age were not in school.

MILLION YOUNG CHILDREN DO NOT DEVELOP AT SIMILAR LEVELS AS THEIR NON-POOR PEERS.

Million children live in extreme poverty worldwide

Child Inequality Facts

  • Inequality is inherited. 1
  • Inequality is a welfare issue. Studies have documented of examples of rising inequality decreasing child welfare. 2
  • Inequality affects kids for life. Unequal opportunities translate into unequal lifelong outcomes by the time children reach the age of five. 3
  • The impacts of inequality are more damaging the longer it is experienced. The longer a child is poor, the greater the risk of poverty in adulthood, and of experiencing lifelong health problems and involvement in the criminal justice system. 4
  • Inequality disproportionately affects children of color in the U.S. 5
  • Affluence plays a role too. The growing divide between low-income children and their peers reduces opportunities for low-income children throughout their lives. 6

types of Inequality

Economic Inequality

Children who grow up poor are more likely to be poor as adults. Furthermore, the likelihood increases with each year of poverty that is experienced. – PBS Frontline

Gender Inequality

In parts of the world, girls are given a lower priority in access to education, are tasked with more domestic responsibilities, and are pushed into early marriage and motherhood which keep them in a lower status in society. Complications from pregnancy are the leading cause of death of adolescent girls in the world. – World Health Organization

Educatonal Inequality

Educational inequality suppresses social and economic mobility. Wikipedia

The longer you grow up in poverty, the harder it is to graduate. PBS Frontline

Racial Inequality

Disparities have been created through histories of discrimination and opportunity denial, and they dissipate slowly.
–Population Studies Center and Survey Research Center

The child poverty rate for blacks and Hispanics is more than double the rate for whites and Asians. Higher unemployment rates and lower earnings contribute to the gap. – National Geographic

Health Inequality

Many health outcomes — everything from life expectancy to infant mortality and obesity — can be linked to the level of economic inequality within a given population. Greater economic inequality appears to lead to worse health outcomes. – Inequality.org

How Inequality hurts kids

Inequality causes harmful and lasting consequences that can manifest as:

Physical trauma

  • Abuse and violence
  • Housing insecurity
  • Unsafe neighborhoods
  • Injury occurring from a lack of supervision
Health

  • Malnutrition and food insecurity
  • Obesity
  • Maternal mortality
  • Lack of basic medical care
Brain development

  • Ability to learn
  • Ability to regulate feelings and behavior
  • Emotional well-being and risk of depression
Source: Novak Djkovik Foundation

lifelong consequences from an early age

Unequal opportunities translate into unequal outcomes by the time children reach the age of five. – Project Syndicate

“Low family income can impede children’s cognitive development and their ability to learn. It can contribute to behavioral, social and emotional problems, and it can cause and exacerbate poor health as well. Research has consistently shown that ongoing exposure to economic stress and hardship harms child development: parents invest less in their kids and experience higher levels of stress. – PBS Frontline

We can disrupt the trend of rising inequality when everyone plans for a fair start. See what we’re doing to reduce inequality.

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