Ben, Reed & Matei

Many teenagers are pressured to get their first job and as a result, there is a lot of stress that is put onto their backs when trying to find a job. Not only is it hard for them to find jobs, but they also aren’t paid as much, given as much freedom, and they are generally just not treated as equal to adults.

A student/teenager makes 13 dollars an hour if they work 28 hours or more in the week, but if they work less than that they only get paid $9.60 an hour, An adult gets paid 14$ an hour, and in comparison, this is quite a bit more money than a student makes, especially if you look at it over time. In a 52 week year, someone works 28 hours or more as a student they make $18,928, but if they work it as an adult they make $20,384. If you are a Teenager that works 18 hours a week, you only make $8,985.

The workplace isn’t always accepting, Kyle (not his real name) is a 15-year-old student at North Toronto that works a part-time job at a local store, and he believes that he isn’t treated equally and fairly when compared to others at his job. He works less than 28 hours a week which is what is required by the government to be worked for a student if they want a full minimum wage. He says “ I’m treated differently because I’m new” and, “I think it’s BS” which strongly shows how he doesn’t like the way he’s treated, and that he doesn’t receive the respect he thinks to deserve.

This is just one example of age bias in the workplace, but it is all around us and with society’s norm being that people should get a job as a teen it is unusually difficult.