It is impossible to quantify how many affluent parents have trimmed allowances in recent months — or how many of their offspring, in turn, have sought either formal employment or odd jobs. But interviews with dozens of teenagers, parents, educators and employers suggest that many youngsters from well-to-do families seem to have found a new work ethic as the economic crisis that has jeopardized their parents’ jobs and investments has also led to less spending money for Saturday night movies or binges at Abercrombie & Fitch.
Teenage participation in the national labor force has fallen steadily since 1979, when 49 percent of all 16- and 17-year-olds had some kind of work; last year, the figure was 30 percent. A recent study by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University showed that teenage employment from 2005 to 2007 rose with household incomes that go up to $150,000 a year: 14 percent of teenagers from families earning less than $20,000 a year work, as do 26 percent of those whose families make $60,000, 32 percent of those earning $80,000 and 33 percent of those between $120,000 and $150,000.
2 comments:
I also read this article in the NYTimes online, and found it to be extremely interesting. Evidence of this can be seen in many communities across the country, and I think it can be seen as almost something of a good thing; kids in well-off families that never had to work would have never developed a work ethic, or respect for income. Many times kids will take advantange of their parents high incomes by choosing not to get a job at school, etc.
The effect of the financial crisis can be felt in across the board; my 16 year old sister has decided to get a job after school so she can earn her own money and help pay off her car
I think each society has different practice. For example, in Korea, people who are age of under 18 are not even allowed to work.
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