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Gabriel, a high school junior, enjoys working the concession stand
at the local movie theater on Friday and Saturday nights. He earns
a little money for college, hangs out with his friends, and gets to watch
movies for free. He even got a pay raise because of his strong work
ethic and positive attitude. But when his supervisor asked him if he
would be willing to work after school some days, Gabriel hesitated.
The extra money would be great, but how would he finish all of his homework?
Research shows that having a job as a teenager can be a valuable experience, teaching responsibility and time management skills, as well as providing a paycheck. However, managing a job and school can be a tough balancing act. |
Trends in Employment Patterns Among Youth
Percentage of youths aged 16-19 by enrollment/employment status in school months
Source: Youth enrollment and employment during the school year, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008
Where Youth Work
Youth Employment Outcomes
Connecting Work with School and Other Activities
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By studying young peoples employment patterns and how employment affects certain aspects of boys and girls lives, researchers have learned valuable lessons about risk factors those traits and life experiences that can jeopardize a persons healthy development and protective factors the characteristics and life experiences that can increase a persons likelihood of positive outcomes.
Reasons young people may struggle with employment:
Family, school, and community factors that affect young peoples employment:
Employment-related factors that help young people succeed:
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Given that a quarter of high school-age boys work, researchers have made considerable effort to understand the role of employment in the lives of young people. While some point to the negative effects, saying that working distracts students from school, others suggest benefits, claiming that working builds character and self-esteem.(26)
Specifically, research has shown that young people who work more than 20 hours per week are more likely to drop out of high school, engage in risky behavior, and become delinquent, among other negative consequences. Young people who work fewer than 20 hours per week are more likely to have positive family relationships and go to college.
Complicating the research landscape is the fact that not all boys want to work, and only a portion of those who do can find a job. For example, researchers have found that boys who live in a two-parent family and expect to go to college are more likely to be employed. Boys who live in low-income households and in areas with high rates of poverty and unemployment are less likely to have a job.
Gabriel appears to be one of the fortunate boys who enjoys his work, finds it compatible with his school schedule, and has a supervisor who recognizes his efforts. But not all boys can find jobs like these.
Research into what works to build boys strengths and reduce the challenges they face is still growing. Although the results are promising, efforts continue to pinpoint what strengths make some boys more likely to succeed and what risks, or challenges, increase the likelihood that they will struggle.
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(*) This fact sheet is based on a comprehensive review of the scientific literature, including computer searches of major bibliographic databases (e.g., PsycINFO, MEDLINE/PubMed, EBSCOhost) for epidemiological studies that evaluated what factors make boys more or less prone to certain outcomes. The literature search was limited to scholarly journal articles and government documents published in 2000 and later unless an article was a seminal piece in the field or contributed to tracking trends over time. The statistics provided are from the most recent year for which data were available. Where possible, data related specifically to boys are included, but when these data were not available, data on youth, ages 10 to 18, are provided.[Return to text]
(1) Porterfield, S. L., & Winkler, A. E. (2007). Teen time use and parental education: Evidence from the CPS, MTF, and ATUS. Monthly Labor Review, 130, 3756.
(2) Warren, J. R., & Cataldi, E. F. (2006). A historical perspective on high school students' paid employment and its association with high school dropout. Sociological Forum, 21, 113143.
(3) Morisi, T. L. (2008). Youth enrollment and employment during the school year. Monthly Labor Review, 131, 5163.
(4) Morisi, T. L. (2008).
(5) Sum, A., McLaughlin, J., Khatiwada, I., & Palma, S. (2008). The continued collapse of the nations teen job market and the dismal outlook for the 2008 summer labor market for teens: Does anybody care? Boston, MA: Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University.
(6) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2000). Report on the youth labor force. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor.
(7) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2000).
(8) Warren, J. R., & Cataldi, E. F. (2006).
(9) Apel, R., Paternoster, R., Bushway, S. D., & Brame, R. (2006). A job isnt just a job: The differential impact of formal versus informal work on adolescent problem behavior. Crime & Delinquency, 52, 333369.
(10) Rothstein, D. S. (2007). High school employment and youths' academic achievement. Journal of Human Resources, 42, 194213.
(11) Association for Career and Technical Education. (2007). Career and technical educations role in dropout prevention and recovery. ACTE Issue Brief: Dropout Prevention and Recovery. Alexandria, VA: Author.
(12) U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2007). Average hours per weekday spent by high school students in various activities. American Time Use Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved March 28, 2008, from http://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/ch8.pdf (PDF format)
(13) Ringel, J. S., Ellickson, P. L., & Collins, R. L. (2007). High school drug use predicts job-related outcomes at age 29. Addictive Behaviors, 32, 576589.
(14) Staff, J., & Uggen, C. (2003). The fruits of good work: Early work experiences and adolescent deviance. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 40, 263290.
(15) Warren, J. R., & Cataldi, E. F. (2006).
(16) Macomber, J. E., Cuccaro-Alamin, S., Duncan, D., Kuehn, D., McDaniel, M., Vericker, et al. (2008). Coming of age: Employment outcomes for youth who age out of foster care through their middle twenties. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
(17) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2000).
(18) Gardecki, R. M. (2001). Racial differences in youth employment. Monthly Labor Review, 124, 5167.
(19) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2000).
(20) Gardecki, R. M. (2001).
(21) Pickering, L. E., & Vazsonyi, A. T. (2002). The impact of adolescent employment on family relationships. Journal of Adolescent Research, 17, 196218.
(22) Marsh, H. W. (1991). Employment during high school: Character building or a subversion of academic goals? Sociology of Education, 64, 172189.
(23) Staff, J., & Uggen, C. (2003).
(24) Staff, J., & Uggen, C. (2003).
(25) Staff, J., & Uggen, C. (2003).
(26) Marsh, H. W. (1991).
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Additional Resources
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