Pauperism (; ) is the condition of being a "pauper", i.e. receiving relief administered under the Irish and English Poor Laws. From this, pauperism can also be more generally the state of being supported at public expense, within or outside of almshouses, and still more generally, of dependence for any considerable period on charitable assistance, public or private. In this sense, pauperism is to be distinguished from general poverty or the state of being a poor, and between 1929 and 1930 the poor law guardians, the "workhouse test," and the term "pauper" disappeared.
Pauper apprentices
Pauper apprentices in England and Wales were the children of paupers who were bound out by the local parish overseers and churchwardens. Some had to travel long distances to serve in the factories of the Industrial Revolution, but the majority served their terms within a few miles of their homes.
See also
- Culture of poverty
- Debtors Anonymous
- In forma pauperis
- Pauper's funeral
- Reserve army of labour
- Social exclusion
- Social stigma
- The Prince and the Pauper
- Working poor