Kuwait Times

Higher-income youth employed more than lower-income: Study

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Teenagers from higherinco­me families are more likely to hold jobs than those from lower-income households, according to University of New Hampshire research that suggests employment itself has become an extracurri­cular activity.

The university’s Carsey School of Public Policy examined the latest numbers from the National Survey of Children’s Health, which collects data on about 95,600 children ages 17 years and younger every four to five years. For the report released Tuesday, data was analyzed on about 35,000 children ages 12 to 18. According to the survey, higher-income youths are twice as likely to be employed as their lower-income peers, a finding that researcher Sarah Leonard said was perhaps surprising since one might expect lower-income youth to have higher employment rates. She said that could suggest that after-school jobs have become a form of extracurri­cular activity.

“This possibilit­y could explain why rural youth are more likely to work - if fewer traditiona­l extracurri­cular opportunit­ies are available in rural areas, employment may serve as a replacemen­t,” she said. Higher-income youth are one-and-a-half times as likely to participat­e in extracurri­cular activities, defined as school-based or extramural activities that aren’t required by schools or eligible for school credit, including sports, clubs and other structured activity. The reasons for the disparitie­s are unclear, Leonard said, but it’s possible that financial costs, eligibilit­y for and availabili­ty of activities could be factors. For example, many schools require students to maintain minimum grade point averages to participat­e in extracurri­cular activities.

“If low-income youth have lower academic achievemen­t, as some research shows, their opportunit­y to participat­e in school-based extracurri­cular activities will be diminished,” Leonard wrote.

“In turn, since extracurri­cular participat­ion is linked to better grades, decreased participat­ion could also lead to poorer academic achievemen­t.”

She suggests policy makers and school systems consider changing their eligibilit­y requiremen­ts for school-based activities and making participat­ion in such activities more affordable and accessible. She said colleges and universiti­es should also reconsider admissions policies that are heavily influenced by extracurri­cular involvemen­t. — AP

 ??  ?? AHMEDABAD: African Developmen­t Bank (ADB) President Akinwumi Adesina gestures as he addresses a press conference in Ahmedabad yesterday ahead of the ADB Annual General Meeting. — AFP
AHMEDABAD: African Developmen­t Bank (ADB) President Akinwumi Adesina gestures as he addresses a press conference in Ahmedabad yesterday ahead of the ADB Annual General Meeting. — AFP

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