Lazy teens? Think again

Stats show our youth work equivalent of a 50-hour week
By CP
Ottowa Sun
May. 24, 2007

A new study says many teens carry a heavier load than people give them credit for, despite the stereotypical image of nonchalant teenage loungers.

Canadian teens ranked first among their counterparts in nine OECD countries in terms of average hours spent on unpaid and paid labour during the school week.

Canadian teens averaged 7.1 hours of unpaid and paid labour per day in 2005 — a 50-hour work week, virtually the same as that of adult Canadians aged 20 to 64 doing the same activities.

The Statistics Canada study found that the vast majority of teens aged 15 to 19 who live at home with their parents average 9.2 hours of school work, homework, paid work and housework on school days and 3.5 hours on weekends.

The study found the relatively high workloads cause some stress: 16 per cent of the teens surveyed considered themselves workaholics; 39 per cent felt under constant pressure to accomplish more than they could handle, and nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) cut back on sleep to get things done.

Homework was the most time-consuming unpaid activity for teens, with 60 per cent averaging two hours, 20 minutes every day.

Boys with Canadian-born parents did significantly less homework than girls in similar families, and less than either girls or boys with immigrant parents, while teens with demanding paid jobs of 20 hours-plus per week did significantly less homework than those who were not employed.

The study found that too much part-time student employment can interfere with school and cause personal stress.