EDP 302: About Adolescents
and Work
by Jane Nguyen
Adolescent Work in Traditional Cultures
Hunting, Fishing, and Gathering
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These duties are typically undertaken by men
Boys typically learn to hunt and fish by accompanying their father and
other men on expeditions
Often in cultures where males the responsibility for hunting and fishing,
women have a complementary responsibility for gathering
Farming and Care of Domestic Animals
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Adolescents in cultures with agrarian economies often provide useful
work to their families because taking care of domestic animals often
requires little in the way of skill or expertise
It is a frequent responsibility of adolescents and even preadolescents
all over the world
Farming often requires a higher level of training and skill so this
expertise is typically carried out by fathers and sons
Childcare and Household Work
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Women and girls have the main responsibility in most traditional cultures
for caring for and doing household work
By doing this kind of work, the adolescent daughter prepares herself for
her adult role and demonstrates to potential marriage partners that she is
capable of running a household
Sibling Care: Older sisters and brothers (often as young as 5 or 6) bore
the brunt of daily childcare duties while parents worked.
Adolescent Work Before 1900
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Before the 17th and 18th centuries it was common for adolescents to
work in farming and care of domestic animals
As industrialization proceeded in the 18th and 19th centuries, it became
common for adolescents to work in factories
Child labor actually skyrocketed and peaked in the early 1900s
Children were working in factories instead of attending school
Industrial wages for adults were so artificially low that parents were forced to
bring their own children into the factories just to afford basic food and rent
Historical Timeline of Adolescent Work
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HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF ADOLESCENT WORK
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[1890–1920] ───────────────► [1930s] ─────────────────► [1950s–1990s] ─────────────► [1990s]
───────────────► [2018]
AGE OF ADOLESCENCE
GREAT DEPRESSION
Full-time manual labor
School replaces work
THE STUDENT-WORKER
School + part-time jobs
HISTORIC PEAK
MODERN DECLINE
>80% seniors employed Academic focus
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Teen Employment Statistics in the United States
Young People Neither Employed nor in Education or
Training in the United States and Europe
Teen Employment Statistics in the United States
More Employment Statistics
About New Basic Skills for Work
Murnane and Levy (1997) concluded that 6 basic skills are necessary for
success at the office and factory jobs now available to highschool graduates
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Reading at the ninth-grade level or higher
Doing math at the ninth-grade level or higher
Solving semi-structured problems
Communicating orally and in writing
Using a computer for word processing and other tasks
Close to half of all 17 years olds can’t read or do math at the level needed
to succeed at the new jobs
One Man’s Opinion Head of IBM-Louis Gerstner
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We aren’t interested in public schools teaching work-related skills
What’s killing us is having to teach new hires to read, communicate,
compute, and critically think
Children had a steady decline in math and reading scores beginning all
the way back to 2013, which happens to be when smartphones and social
media really took off.
Compared to a decade ago, math scores today are down in 70 percent of
school districts. Reading scores are down in 83 percent
Europe vs. the United States
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In European countries, school to work programs are a basic part of the
national government
In the United States, there is a not a political consensus about the value
of such programs
Apprenticeships in Western Europe: Apprenticeship is where an
adolescent “novice” serves under contract to a “master” who has substantial
experience in a profession. The German Example: 60% of all 16-18 year
olds are in an apprenticeship program
Common Features of an Apprenticeship Program
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Entry at age 16 and apprenticeship lasts 2-3 years
Preparation for a career in a respected profession that provides an
adequate income to survive
Continued part-time schooling while apprenticing
Training that takes place in the workforce
School curriculum is closely connected with training
Provide Government-Funded Public Service Jobs: Having young people
serve in jobs such as nurses or bridge painters would give them useful work
experience and enhance the quality of life in the areas that they live
Benefits of Apprenticeship Programs
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Upgrade Education: financial support for schools should be more
centralized and more equal
Improve School to Work Programs: Young people in urban areas are
especially harmed by the lack of effective programs
Improved Access to Employment: Most new jobs are opening up in
suburban areas. This is a problem for young people in the inner cities
because public transportation is inadequate and few of them have access
to a car to get around