Family Income and Child Outcomes While child poverty is being investigated by many researchers, the debate between family income inequality and child development has spread around the world. Some people believe that children's achievement would not be affected by family income because low-income children may be more motivated to change socioeconomic status. However, several studies suggest that there is an association between family income and child outcomes: when family income decreases, the child's future outcomes decrease. Many articles also state that family poverty has a direct negative influence on children's futures due to a lack of educational opportunities and resources. Furthermore, children living in poverty are often negatively affected by their parents' mental state. It is believed that low-income children could succeed through hard work instead of depending on their parents. However, due to the competitiveness of scholarships and student loans, it would be very difficult for children who come from poor families to compete with high-income children in post-secondary education institutions. Tuition fees at most reputed universities are quite high. Low-income students would not be able to get into top universities unless they received financial support from the government or schools. For example, for the 2013-2014 school term, the tuition to attend Harvard University is $38,891 USD (2013). Unable to pursue higher education, young adults are more likely to face unemployment or low pay. In 2000, Statistics Canada said that about 40% of low-income workers had less than a secondary school education. Furthermore, 45 per cent of young workers were in low-paid jobs which… middle of paper… social aid/how aid works/costs. [Last accessed 11/20/2013]. Labonté, R., Ruckert, A., Caldbick, S. (2013). Income inequality in Canada: Presentation to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/HOC/Committee/411/FINA/WebDoc/WD6079428/411_FINA_IIC_Briefs%5CCaldbickSamE.pdf. [Last accessed: 11-26-2013].Statistics Canada (2013). Overall average income by economic family type. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/famil05c-eng.htm. [Last accessed 11-26-2013].Trzesniewski, K.H., Donnellan, M.B., Moffitt, T.E., Robins, R.W., Poulton, R., & Caspi, A. (2006). Low self-esteem during adolescence predicts poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects during adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 381-390. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.2.381