U.S. Teens Working Hard at Loafing Around
A
While adolescents today work less and have more leisure time
than previous generations, how do they invest these valuable hours? How
are today’s adolescents spending their time? Well, they probably aren’t working.
B
A recently published study suggests that not only are U.S.
adolescents (aged 15-17) spending fewer hours per day in paid employment
(and getting paid less in real terms than their 1977 counterparts), they also
invest less time in schoolwork, housework or engaging in organizational
activities like clubs and youth groups. This research in the journal Youth and
Society seems to contradict the prevailing notion that today’s teens are
stressed and overloaded with schoolwork, organized sports, hobbies, standardized
test preparation and extracurricular activities in an effort to compile
a sterling résumé that will impress college admissions offices. Adolescents, it
seems, may have more free time than previously thought.
C
This new data comes from a study by the University of Utah’s
Cathleen D. Zick, who compared time diaries and time-use surveys from 1977-1978
and 2003-2005 to examine, in six broad categories, where adolescents invest
their time. These categories include personal care, housework, paid work, schoolwork,
organizational activities and leisure. Her findings suggests that, although the
median income of two-parent,
two-child families has “substantially” fallen from 1977-1978, and while teens’
average real wage is approximately $2 per hour lower, leisure time for today’s
youth has risen considerably while paid work time has tailed off.
D
While the decline in paid work time is likely welcomed by
adolescents, if that extra time is spent only in leisure activities — especially
“passive” leisure activities like watching TV or movies, socializing or talking
on the phone — it simply becomes a waste of time. Although the study doesn’t
draw conclusions, it doesn’t seem too far a stretch to link the rise of
adolescent leisure time with the growing epidemic of teen obesity.
E Zick’s
research notes that while leisure time for adolescents increased compared to
their counterparts in 1977, time spent on housework, schoolwork and attending
organizational activities decreased. In 2003-2005 boys, on average, spent
more than an hour less each day in paid work and 15 minutes less on housework
and schoolwork — while leisure time increased by more than an hour and a half.
Two-thirds of this leisure time is spent engaging in passive activities (which
— the Wii aside — doesn’t include physical activities such as sports).
Adjusted to
(1)
median
– střední hodnota
tail
off – snížit, zmenšit
1) Read the article and match each of the headings to
a paragraph.
1 Teenagers are passive and obese
2 Leisure time increased, activities and work
decreased
3 Zick’s study
4 US
teenagers today don’t work much
5 Adolescents have more free time than supposed
2) Read the article and answer the questions.
1 What is the main difference between US
generations of 1977-1978 and 2003-2005?
2 How does younger generation spend their free time?
3 How did the older generation spend their free time?
4 What does the article say about obesity and
adolescents? What is the reason for that?
5 How much time does younger generation spend on
active and passive activities?
3) Explain the following words and phrases.
1 previous generations
2 paid employment
3 extracurricular activities
4 teen obesity
5 attending organizational activities
decreased
4) Answer the following questions.
What are benefits of adolescent employment? What
are risks of adolescent employment? Why is adolescent work important? What are
typical examples of adolescent jobs? How do teenagers spend their free time?
Why it is necessary to spend leisure time actively?
Video:
Tips, sources of information:
Source:
(1)
HAYDEN,
Erik. U.S.
Teens Working Hard at Loafing Around. Pacific Standard [online].
2009 [cit. 2015-09-20]. Available at:
http://www.psmag.com/books-and-culture/u-s-teens-working-hard-at-loafing-around-3424
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