YOUNG ADULT – ISSUES AND

TRENDS

Chapter 5

Gender Roles

- Most significant change, women now employed, even when they have children. If role of women change, then so do men.

- Work contributes to personal happiness, women want a home and family more than men.

- Workplace role segregation occurs despite equal productivity of men and women.

Occupational Segregation - Classification of jobs as male or female and

the wage differentiation vary.

-Legislation dating back to the 60’s in Canada that men and women doing the same job for the same employer must be paid the same wage.

- 1977 – Human Right Act – forbids discrimination in hiring.

Employment Issues - Women still underrepresented in careers

that are well paid. - Different expectations of work – Women:

want work to be interesting, building relationships with people.

Men: value high pay and status. - Women find careers in education or social

services more rewarding due to relationships gained in these professions.

Cultural Conflict - Major challenges of early adulthood are to

form an identity, a tentative adult life structure, and intimate relationships.

- Eastern cultures form identity based on duty and obligation to family then society.

- Children of immigrant families struggle with the challenges of being independent yet, maintaining close ties with family.

Cost of Education

- Cost of education could serve as a barrier to pursuing post secondary education.

- 87 % of Canadian parents hope that their child will attend post secondary education.

- Most are not saving enough, with hopes that child will work part time while in school.

Cost of Education

- Students fear they will graduate with more debt that will effect their ability to search for jobs of interest.

- Family income has an influence over what programs a student may enter into when looking at cost.

Homeless Youth Homelessness is defined as having no fixed

place to sleep at night. - Includes – sleeping in motels until money

runs out, staying with friends, in shelters. Students leave home for 3 broad reasons 1) Family disputes 2) Residential instability

3) Move out to be independent but don’t move back if they cant make it.

Homeless Youth

More likely to suffer from infectious diseases, have limited skills due to interrupted education, no support to try to make it work.

Solution to homelessness ?

Teen Suicide Men used to be 5 times more likely to commit

suicide in 1980. Now they are 2 times as likely.

The number of girls committing suicide in Canada has risen in the past 30 years.

- Overall teen suicide rate is declining, but only amongst males.

Teen SuicideRisk factors:

History of previous suicide attempts Family history of suicide History of depression or other mental illness Alcohol or drug abuse Stressful life event or loss Easy access to lethal methods Exposure to the suicidal behavior of others Incarceration

Teen Pregnancy - rates are calculated as any pregnancy

(including miscarriages, abortions) of a female aged 15-19 per 1000. Rate has decreased from 4.2% to 2.7% in the past 15 years. However, abortion rate has risen.

Currently, more than half of the total amount of teen pregnancies end in abortion.

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/kits-trousses/preg-gross/preg-gross-eng.htm

Why is Teen Pregnancy a Concern?

- teen mothers are more at risk of health issues (physical, mental) for themselves and their babies.

- children of teen mothers are more likely to become teen mothers themselves.

- teen mothers are far less likely to graduate high school or attend post secondary.

Teen parents are more likely to become dependent on government support

Teen pregnancy has highest rate of abortions amongst all pregnancies.

Teen pregnancy cost US $7 Billion (study) in 2011. Canada estimated around 500 million.

What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnHSnlhZ2ZA