The desire to acquire wealth has been a prevalent desire shared by most throughout history. In today’s world, money is nearly essential to everyday life. A person needs money for just about everything; providing food and shelter for one’s self and family, paying bills (electric, gas, phone, cable), transportation, and leisure. Being unemployed (without a job) puts the acquisition of money to an abrupt stop. The immediate effect of unemployment is clear, the loss of a regular income of money. However, unemployment has a very severe impact on every aspect of life on a short and long term scale.

	Not having a reliable source of income is very unsettling, especially if people were dependent on that now nonexistent income. According to the American Psychological Association, those who are unemployed are significantly more likely to experience psychological problems, including “high rates of depression, anxiety, and lack of self esteem,” by twice the amount compared those with jobs.(Ostbye). Imagine, for several years, being the sole provider for a family and kids. For years, you have been able to provide the people you care about most with the things they must have to live. Then, suddenly, you lose your job and no longer have the ability to consistently provide them with such necessities. This will take a major emotional toll on any empathetic person, because the people cared about most must make drastic lifestyle changes to accommodate for the lack of income. Unemployment substantially decreases the quality of life for both the person unemployed and those who depend on them.

The drastic consequences of unemployment are also experienced by those who depended on the consistent income that is now gone. The struggle to acquire money now turns into a problem for everyone in the family, forcing those previously unemployed (wife, kids etc) to seek income. This, in some cases, can lead to using unconventional (or perhaps illegal) ways of acquiring money. A great example of this would be stealing. Since people do not have the money required to purchase something, essential to living or not, they simply take it. Another unconventional method some without (or even with) a job turn to is selling drugs. While society typically depicts those who sell drugs to be bad people, some people see it as a final, desperate measure to get money. Christopher Wallace (AKA Biggie Smalls) says how “I was hustling...just trying to make some money to feed my daughter,”(Juicy). Another case like this is exemplified during an interview with an anonymous Illinois citizen who lost his job due to having a stroke. On top of student loans, his medical bills required for the treatment of his stroke had to be paid out of pocket since he didn’t have a job (which usually provides health insurance).  He claims that “If I didn’t sell drugs, I’d be dead.” (Liebelson). When people need money, they resort to desperate measures. A comical, yet very relevant example of this can be found in an episode of Family Guy, where both Meg and Lois become prostitutes to help raise money for the family(No Chris Left Behind). While this is an animated television show designed for entertainment, it still perfectly exemplifies the measures people are willing to take to get money.

The use of unconventional ways to get money applies to children as well, who may feel pressured to provide money for their family. At any given time, they could easily be arrested and face jail time (depending on the severity, prison). The need for money is so severe that people are willing to risk their freedom and entire future on a daily basis to be able to get it. Getting caught selling drugs (or any felony) as a kid will basically ruin your life, by putting a felony on your permanent record. Most (if not all) applications for jobs or colleges ask if you have been convicted of any felonies. In a situation where there are two applications, both containing the similar information, but one with a felony, it is a clear cut decision for the employer or college which to chose. This, unfortunately, creates a paradoxical cycle; because someone is unemployed, they (may) turn to something illegal to get money. If caught, the likelihood of them getting a job or education (to better their chances of getting a job) is drastically decreased, leading to the continuation of the aforementioned methods.


Unemployment and the constant need for money adds a great level of stress to a family and can take a huge toll on a child’s. A study performed at the Urban Institute suggested that “children who experience an unemployment event in their families are …. more likely to see a destabilizing change in family arrangements.” The risk of married parents getting divorced is increased by more than two times when one of the two loses a job. Researchers say “new living arrangements precipitated by the loss of a job can be detrimental to a child’s development.”(Painin). A kid who grows up living with both their parents is going to have a significantly different (and usually better) childhood and turn out completely different. I spoke to one of my close friends regarding the matter, who said,

“Well, uhh, to put it briefly; it sucked. Bad. I would have to go from house to house every few days, lugging my giant computer with me each time. Some days my dad wouldn’t let me go out with you guys because he wanted to spend time with me on the few days he could. The worst part was the unspoken contest between my parents as to who my favorite would be. Some kids enjoyed getting treated like a king, no, not me, I f****** hated it. Like, if my Mom got me taco bell one day, my dad would want to take me to a 5 star cuisine to 1 up her.” (Remy)

It’s terrible, how drastically the lack of income can influence lives. Being unemployed puts the person (and family) into an incredibly uncomfortable living situation that will entirely change how they live.