teenagers feeling the crunch of rough economic times

[nageov3t]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/13/nyregion/13teens.html

As the Rich Get Poorer, Teenagers Feel the Crunch

Jodi Hamilton began her senior year of high school in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., this fall on the usual prosperous footing. Her parents were providing a weekly allowance of $100 and paying for private Pilates classes, as well as a physics tutor who reported once a week to their 4,000-square-foot home.

But in October, Jodi?s mother lost her lucrative job managing a huge dental practice in the Bronx, landing in one closer to home that requires more hours for less money. Pilates was dropped, along with takeout sushi dinners, and Jodi?s allowance, which covers lunch during the week, slipped to $60. Instead of having a tutor, Jodi has become a tutor, earning $150 a week through that and baby-sitting.

this statistical analysis also made me wtf:

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. Over $150,000, it drops to 28 percent.

?Research shows that the bigger allowance you get from mom and dad,? explained Andrew M. Sum, director of Northeastern?s center, ?the less likely you are to work.?

those kids in the 14% bracket must really be getting a gigantic allowance.

my heart truly breaks for these impoverished teenagers -- thank god this was so important that the NY Times felt the need to make it the front page news on their website... how someone with no rent, no debt, and no bills can survive on $10/hour at a cushy part-time job is beyond me... quelle horreur!

 

[Farang]

Man I would've been rich if I had an allowance as a teen.. I managed to save like $10k working so imagine an extra $5200/year!

 

[fleshconsumed]

Good effort, but it still cannot compare with "designer jeans" mom.

 

[aldamon]

Holy crap. $100 a week?

 

[Genx87]

That statistic is interesting. Low end of the scale doesnt work as much as people from higher brackets.

 

[StageLeft]

Reminds me of the woman on CNN who had to cutback this Christmas, no designer jeans for her. In the pic she was standing in front of $600 of toys for her 1 or 2 year old. The tragedy. I don't know how Jodi will survive on $60/week, poor girl

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Genx87
That statistic is interesting. Low end of the scale doesnt work as much as people from higher brackets.

Lazy fvckers and/or steal.

 

[dphantom]

Jeeeezz...

I used to work all summer on my uncle's farm bailing hay and taking off oats and made maybe $300 total. I'd take $20 a week back then and come out ahead of working.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Genx87
That statistic is interesting. Low end of the scale doesnt work as much as people from higher brackets.

Lazy fvckers and/or steal.

I wonder if they are taught that from their parents. They are working at roughly half the rate of people from higher brackets. Why? It would be apparent they should be the ones working harder.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Genx87
That statistic is interesting. Low end of the scale doesnt work as much as people from higher brackets.

Lazy fvckers and/or steal.

I wonder if they are taught that from their parents. They are working at roughly half the rate of people from higher brackets. Why? It would be apparent they should be the ones working harder.

Like father like son. That is assuming, of course, they have a father at home.

OK, I'll stop :0

 

[Xavier434]

14 percent of teenagers from families earning less than $20,000 a year work

Keep in mind that there are many cases where the money earned by those teens goes towards supporting their own family. I have seen this first hand.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Xavier434

14 percent of teenagers from families earning less than $20,000 a year work

Keep in mind that there are many cases where the money earned by those teens goes towards supporting their own family. I have seen this first hand.

That might be but it doesnt explain why such a smaller % of them are working.

 

[SunnyD]

As the rich get poorer :laugh:

Yeah right.

 

[Atreus21]

Originally posted by: loki8481
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/13/nyregion/13teens.html

As the Rich Get Poorer, Teenagers Feel the Crunch

Jodi Hamilton began her senior year of high school in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., this fall on the usual prosperous footing. Her parents were providing a weekly allowance of $100 and paying for private Pilates classes, as well as a physics tutor who reported once a week to their 4,000-square-foot home.

But in October, Jodi?s mother lost her lucrative job managing a huge dental practice in the Bronx, landing in one closer to home that requires more hours for less money. Pilates was dropped, along with takeout sushi dinners, and Jodi?s allowance, which covers lunch during the week, slipped to $60. Instead of having a tutor, Jodi has become a tutor, earning $150 a week through that and baby-sitting.

this statistical analysis also made me wtf:

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. Over $150,000, it drops to 28 percent.

?Research shows that the bigger allowance you get from mom and dad,? explained Andrew M. Sum, director of Northeastern?s center, ?the less likely you are to work.?

those kids in the 14% bracket must really be getting a gigantic allowance.

my heart truly breaks for these impoverished teenagers -- thank god this was so important that the NY Times felt the need to make it the front page news on their website... how someone with no rent, no debt, and no bills can survive on $10/hour at a cushy part-time job is beyond me... quelle horreur!

I think I smell a bailout. Paulson'll handle it. I wonder how long until teenagers unionize against their parents and demand higher allowances.

Then the parents won't be able to compete.

Wouldn't it be great if families were capitalistic? If you could interview the child-candidates before they were born?

On the other hand, if that happened, we'd be giving birth to only mexican babies.

/racism

 

[sonambulo]

So this is why old media is dying. Grey lady down!

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: Xavier434

14 percent of teenagers from families earning less than $20,000 a year work

Keep in mind that there are many cases where the money earned by those teens goes towards supporting their own family. I have seen this first hand.

Well duh. That's why I'd expect this number to be way higher. There's nothing wrong with asking a teenager to help pay some bills. IMHO they'll learn a hell of a lot more life lessons this way then if they just get handed money.

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: Genx87
That statistic is interesting. Low end of the scale doesnt work as much as people from higher brackets.

could be employers not wanting to hire poor minority kids combined with a culture that enforces the lesson that minimum wage is for chumps.

and on the upper/middle class end, I'm sure you have a lot more parents who are in a position to get their kids comfy jobs with friends of the family and whatnot.

 

[Red Dawn]

A lot of us had to work as teenagers to pay for our cars and insurance. It seemed the ones without cars didn't work.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Reminds me of the woman on CNN who had to cutback this Christmas, no designer jeans for her. In the pic she was standing in front of $600 of toys for her 1 or 2 year old. The tragedy. I don't know how Jodi will survive on $60/week, poor girl

Reading comprehension FTL

Jodi Hamilton?s mother, Jill, said she had been impressed by her daughter?s determination to earn, noting that ?she sent out a massive e-mail for baby-sitting and tutoring, and she got so many offers there aren?t enough hours in the week.?

Suddenly, the tables are turned: Two weeks ago, Ms. Hamilton borrowed $640 from Jodi.

 

[tk149]

Do some of you even think before you post?

Possibly, many of the teens from low-income families have to babysit siblings or incapacitated grandparents, which means they don't have time to work outside of school.

It's also possible that they are from low-income areas, which have fewer unskilled job opportunites, or at least have more competition for the same number of jobs (i.e. you, your aunt, and your dad want the same job)

Plus their parents are less likely to have "connections" to get them jobs.

 

[da loser]

Originally posted by: Genx87
That statistic is interesting. Low end of the scale doesnt work as much as people from higher brackets.

or maybe the upper scale employs their kids at their business...

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: Xavier434

14 percent of teenagers from families earning less than $20,000 a year work

Keep in mind that there are many cases where the money earned by those teens goes towards supporting their own family. I have seen this first hand.

That might be but it doesnt explain why such a smaller % of them are working.

Maybe they're babysitting their younger siblings while their single parents work the late shift.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: da loser

Originally posted by: Genx87
That statistic is interesting. Low end of the scale doesnt work as much as people from higher brackets.

or maybe the upper scale employs their kids at their business...

Or maybe the upper scale became upper scale by being driven so they demand the same of their children and require that they earn their own money by getting a job? ime, that has been the case more often than not.

Despite the stupid stereotype that get bandied about this forum incessantly (the disdain for "the rich" is palpable in P&N, as if it's some sort of crime to have money), not every kid that has rich parents is coddled and not every poor kid is a victim of unforunate circumstances that prevents them from bettering their life. For the kids who are successful from either end of that spectrum they usually have one thing in common - parents who care, are involved, and are concerned about their offspring's well being and path to adulthood.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: da loser

Originally posted by: Genx87
That statistic is interesting. Low end of the scale doesnt work as much as people from higher brackets.

or maybe the upper scale employs their kids at their business...

Or maybe the upper scale became upper scale by being driven so they demand the same of their children and require that they earn their own money by getting a job?

Or maybe not. It's all conjecture.

 

[StageLeft]

Reading comprehension FTL

Her allowance went down to $60, obviously she was making babysitting cash--it said it in the next sentence.

Originally posted by: tk149
Do some of you even think before you post?

Possibly, many of the teens from low-income families have to babysit siblings or incapacitated grandparents, which means they don't have time to work outside of school.

It's also possible that they are from low-income areas, which have fewer unskilled job opportunites, or at least have more competition for the same number of jobs (i.e. you, your aunt, and your dad want the same job)

Plus their parents are less likely to have "connections" to get them jobs.

Perhaps. Or they're just indolent.

Tasteslikechicken wins.

Or maybe not. It's all conjecture.

In this thread it is because none of us really care. If we did, it would be quite easy, I bet, to find out some better specifics on demographics of low income kids and figure out why they are not doing part-time jobs.