The Legal of Employment and Whether 14 is Too Young

520 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Employment law and how it is enforced

The Legal of Employment and Whether 14 is Too Young

In this discussion I will be addressing the topic "Should children under the age of 14 be able to be legally employed?" I will be looking at the advantages and disadvantages of children who are under the age of 14 working in paid employment. In particular what motivates them to work and the dangers and potential problems that someone under 14 presents in the workforce.

The case for the affirmative side can be argued by putting the question "Why do most people work?" The most obvious answer would be Money. Everyone needs money; children who are under the age of 14 need money just like older people. They need it to spend not on things like groceries or a mortgage, but entertainment and to keep up with the latest trend in things. It is hard to get by on pocket money alone.

On the other hand the argument against children under 14 needing money is very simply stated they are still under their parents' care, and do not have to look after themselves like older people do; therefore they do not need money. Their parents can provide anything that they require. Another thing to consider is that they might be depriving older teenagers or adults of a job. I will deal with the possibility of exploitation later.

But it is not only money, for a lot of older children and or younger teenagers working can be a very positive thing for them, that can lead to many benefits in life. The jobs that are in question here are not high paying jobs, so they require very little experience, and give considerable experience for their later life. Kids these days are looking for challenges, working keeps them occupied, it also gives them confidence and self-esteem.

However, there is the possibility of losing self-respect by taking up a job because children are often not ready to take on all the responsibility of working. What happens is that because the job is hard or tedious usually for very little money, as employers pay as little as possible, it can be a bad experience for later life. The kid can get the attitude that work, for so little pay, sucks. Then there are the unscrupulous employers who can and sometimes do get away with paying incorrect wages, knowing that a kid can be easily confused and not confident about asserting their rights.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Emma Griffith's Liberty Dawn

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    For the first time in history children were an important factor of the economic system, but at a terrible price. The master of the factories employed children for two reasons. One, because of their small body which can get inside the machines to clean it and use their nimble fingers. Second, the masters use to pay low wages to the children who could be easily manipulated. The average age for the parents to send their children to work was ten. Although, Conventional wisdom dictates that the age at which children started work was connected to the poverty of the family. Griffith presents two autobiographies to put across her point. Autobiography of Edward Davis who lacked even the basic necessities of life because of his father’s heavy drinking habit and was forced to join work at a small age of six, whereas the memoir of Richard Boswell tells the opposite. He was raised up in an affluent family who studied in a boarding school. He was taken out of school at the age of thirteen to become a draper’s apprentice. The author goes further and places child employees into three groups, according to the kind of jobs that were available in their neighbourhood. First group composed of children living in rural areas with no domestic industry to work in. Therefore, the average of a child to work in rural area was ten. Before that, farmers use to assign small jobs to the children such as scaring birds, keeping sheep

    Read More

  • Child Labor

    1721 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout time children have worked myriad hours in hazardous workplaces in order to make a few cents to a few dollars. This is known as child labor, where children are risking their lives daily for money. Today child labor continues to exist all over the world and even in the United States where children pick fruits and vegetables in difficult conditions. According to the article, “What is Child Labor”; it states that roughly 215 million children around the world are working between the ages of 5 and 17 in harmful workplaces. Child labor continues to exist because many families live in poverty and with more working hands there is an increase in income. Other families take their children to work in the fields because they have no access to childcare and extra money is beneficial to buy basic needs. Although there are laws and regulations that protect children from child labor, stronger enforcement is required because child labor not only exploits children but also has detrimental effects on a child’s health, education, and the people of the nation.

    Read More

  • Industrialization Dbq Analysis

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the Industrialization period, a child working was not an uncommon occurrence, but as time went on it began proving a large issue

    Read More

  • Part-time Employment Undermines Students Commitment to School

    390 Words  | 1 Pages

    Response: I agree with Steinberg that working affects adolescents that are going to school. I believe that teenagers should concentrate on their studies and not become overwhelmed with the added stress of work. There is plenty of time for them to learn the “real world” of working, so why not let them be kids and have them worry about their homework and after school chores, rather than trying to make the almighty dollar.

    Read More

  • Government Corruption In The Progressive Era

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many businesses and factories hired children because they were easier to exploit; they could be paid less for more work in dangerous conditions. Plus, their small size made many children idea for working with small parts or fitting into small spaces. Children as young as four could be found working in factories, though most were between eight and twelve. Despite the economic gains made by the business that employed them, many children suffered in the workplace. The industrial setting caused many health problems for the children that, if they lived long enough, they would carry with them for the rest of their lives. Children were also more likely to face accidents in the workplace, often caused by fatigue, and many were seriously injured or killed. Despite efforts by reformers to regulate child labor, it wasn’t until the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that children under 14 were prohibited from

    Read More

  • Government Restrictions on Child Labor

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    What if your young son or daughter was working in a big factory, breathing in bad chemicals, and losing fingers in the machinery? Would you be okay with that? I highly doubt you would be. The conditions of factories can be terrible, unsafe, and unhealthy for children to work in for extended periods of time. These children can get respiratory problems, diseases, and many other conditions, just because they are working there. These things would be happening if the government never stepped in and made rules. I therefore believe the government should be allowed to restrict child labor, including the hours, the pay, education requirements,

    Read More

  • Child Labor in the United States

    1478 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is Child Labor?Child Labor is work that harms children or keeps them from attending school. Around the world and in the U.S., growing gaps between rich and poor in recent decades have forced millions of young children out of school and into work. It is estimated that 215 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 are currently working under conditions that are considered illegal, hazardous, or extremely exploitative.1 Underage children work many different types of jobs that included commercial agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, mining, and domestic services. Some children were involved in illicit activities that included drug trade, prostitution, and other traumatic occupations that included serving as soldiers. Child Labor involved threatening children’s physical, mental, or emotional well- being. It involved intolerable abuse, such as slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage, forced labor or illicit activities and prevented children from going to school.

    Read More

  • Child Labor Essay

    622 Words  | 2 Pages

    Child labor is the employment of children, but not all work done by children should be classified as child labor that should be eliminated. Children’s participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling is generally regarded as being something positive. The term “child labor” is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful.

    Read More

  • child labor

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin with, forcing children to work starts a vicious cycle that will affect future generations. “According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 158 million children aged 5 to 14 engaged in child labor worldwide.” Because children are forced to work, they will miss out on getting educated and that will result in them not getting jobs in the future. This will only cause more poverty and lead them to force their own children to work. It is a never ending cycle. Unfortunately, because families are living in poverty, some have no choice but to force their children to work. People who live in extreme poverty often rely upon child labor in order to earn extra income to attain basic living necessities. Sadly, many children are being forced to work beyond their physical ability...

    Read More

  • Child Labor: Should It Be Banned?

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, child labor is a serious problem that needs to be prevented around the world. Child labor only occurs in the poorest countries and communities. We can resolve this issue by increasing their parents’ income so parents do not have to send their children to the farms to work. Children, on the other hand can benefit from this and have the opportunity to go to school, and more time to socialize with other children. I think it is not up to children to solve their parents’ financial problem in their family. Their job is to go to school, have an education, and do great in the

    Read More

  • Child Labour: NOT Always Wrong

    1299 Words  | 3 Pages

    If a child has a part-time job, they can learn the value of money. So I believe that the issue of child labour is not simple. As Unicef’s 1997 State of the World’s Children Report argued, children’s work needs to be seen as having two extremes. On one hand, there is the destructive or exploitative work and, on the other hand, there is beneficial work - promoting or enhancing children’s development without interfering with their schooling, recreation and rest. ‘And between these two poles are vast areas of work that need not negatively affect a child’s development.’

    Read More

  • Essay About Working In High School

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is very common that many high school students hold part time jobs while going to school. When these teens work, they are able to learn and experience life lessons from ethical and moral work. Knowing that school is aways and should be a priority, students should work while in high school because working helps students be more responsible with their lives, help them practice time managment, and also helps students see and experience the real world.

    Read More

  • Essay On Child Labor

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    Children working might not seem like a bad ordeal; however, kids doing labor might paint a different thought in mind. Child labor is a form of human trafficking, which is present all around the world, but many people in different countries do not see it as a problem. School and the freedom to be a kid is given up because of human trafficking. Child labor is something that needs to stop all around the world. People do not see the damage of human trafficking like child labor and the affect it has on children on a mental and physical level.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Child Labour

    3227 Words  | 7 Pages

    Child labor is a great thing if looked at in the correct way. Adolescents can gain immense benefits and it can seriously improve their chances for a better job fit, higher level of education, and all around improved life.

    Read More

  • Child Labor Essay

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...for to work for little amount of money, and they used them in industries and big factories cause for children to start working in early ages as ten years old. Keep them from attending school. Threatens children’s physical, mental, or emotional well-being, and violate the nation age worker law.

    Read More

More about The Legal of Employment and Whether 14 is Too Young

Open Document