Construction jobs for teens?

[Anonymous]

My 16 year old niece just told me she has gotten a construction job. Her dad works in construction and he got her into his company to work on a clean up crew.


Maybe I am off base but to me construction is not the place for a 16 yr old girl. My experience with construction workers is that there is a lot of crude language, drug use and general lack of respect for women.

She is also young and not very strong ( she weighs about 100 lbs and is more into manicure than manual labor). I am worried she will get hurt.

Her dad has said she had to pay her own cell phone bill now that she is 16 so that's her motivation for working and this job was available. She has no interest in the construction field.

Am I worried for no reason? Is construction now a better place for teen girls to work?

Her mom is not in the picture and I am not sure dad really relates too much to a teen girls experience. He is a good dad and wouldn't want her to get hurt but a bit clueless about what is age appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you are off base. For the following reasons:

1) It's not your child. Back the hell off unless your input has been explicitly solicited.
2) You seem to have an outdated stereotype of what you think something is like when you have almost certainly never experienced it first hand.

[Anonymous]

While there are mostly men, there are women working in the trades too. Women cleaning the building. Etc.

She can put on boots, hard hat, green vest and get to work
Hauling out the trash. Sweeping. You know what. It wil be a good learning experience. And if she works hard she will be respected as part of the crew.

Show up early. Work hard. Grab lunch at the roach coach
With the other workers and be part of the job.

[Anonymous]

She is really lucky. She is probably making a good hourly rate of pay. I don't see the safety concern- she is on clean up and the risk of a workplace injury is probably not nearly what you think given OSHA and the safety programs put into place by risk managers. As far as language, etc. , she's in HS. She hears it all at school. Finally, back to being lucky, she has a dad who's teaching her to be responsible and giving her the resources to be successful at it. I am a mom and have a daughter. I'd be completely supportive of this if it were my daughter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While there are mostly men, there are women working in the trades too. Women cleaning the building. Etc.

She can put on boots, hard hat, green vest and get to work
Hauling out the trash. Sweeping. You know what. It wil be a good learning experience. And if she works hard she will be respected as part of the crew.

Show up early. Work hard. Grab lunch at the roach coach
With the other workers and be part of the job.

Anonymous wrote:She is really lucky. She is probably making a good hourly rate of pay. I don't see the safety concern- she is on clean up and the risk of a workplace injury is probably not nearly what you think given OSHA and the safety programs put into place by risk managers. As far as language, etc. , she's in HS. She hears it all at school. Finally, back to being lucky, she has a dad who's teaching her to be responsible and giving her the resources to be successful at it. I am a mom and have a daughter. I'd be completely supportive of this if it were my daughter.

Can't agree with these posts more. She is a lucky girl to have the opportunity to learn what hard work really feels like.

[Anonymous]

Girls can be strong and capable. She won't faint if she hears harsh language - she probably already uses it. Good for her for getting a job!

[Anonymous]

Buy her a pink hardhat and red wing boots.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the reality check.

I have no issue with women in trades and agree women are strong and capable.

My concern was based more on my own experience in high school were walking daily past a construction site often meant cat calls, whistles and crude, sexist comments. Also my cousin works in construction as well and describes a pretty rough group with lots of drug use. Also we had a teen due in my area on a construction site because the crew wasn't using proper safety gear and the teen didn't have the experience to know the danger he was in.

She is a pretty naive and easily influencable kid who isn't taking this job because she has an interest in trades but because she wants money for a cell phone.

I hope it turns out to be a good experience for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the reality check.

I have no issue with women in trades and agree women are strong and capable.

My concern was based more on my own experience in high school were walking daily past a construction site often meant cat calls, whistles and crude, sexist comments. Also my cousin works in construction as well and describes a pretty rough group with lots of drug use. Also we had a teen due in my area on a construction site because the crew wasn't using proper safety gear and the teen didn't have the experience to know the danger he was in.

She is a pretty naive and easily influencable kid who isn't taking this job because she has an interest in trades but because she wants money for a cell phone.

I hope it turns out to be a good experience for her.

To the extent this still goes on, they're going to largely leave her out of it because she's his daughter. The opportunity to work hard, get out of her comfort zone, challenge her body physically, and learn things she might not otherwise be exposed to will be valuable for her. If after she starts, however, she shares with you that she is being harassed, offered drugs, etc., then you can raise it with her dad when you know there is actually a problem as opposed to the possibility of one.

[Anonymous]

It's her father's crew, she won't be assaulted. Hearing crude language, in Spanish or English, is not a big deal.

I've hired contractors and seen plenty of women on clean-up or lighter duties. It will make her stronger.

My concern is that there is a lot of dust and that is not good for airway health. If she has allergies or asthma, not the best type of environment for her. Masks get really hot and uncomfortable, which is why most workers don't use them, even though they protect from breathing in dust.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's her father's crew, she won't be assaulted. Hearing crude language, in Spanish or English, is not a big deal.

I've hired contractors and seen plenty of women on clean-up or lighter duties. It will make her stronger.

My concern is that there is a lot of dust and that is not good for airway health. If she has allergies or asthma, not the best type of environment for her. Masks get really hot and uncomfortable, which is why most workers don't use them, even though they protect from breathing in dust.

I am not entirely sure where her father will be as he is not on clean up. He does a specific trade.

Anyways glad to hear my experiences are not the norm and most people see construction sites as healthy, positive places for teen girls. I really hope that is her experience too.

[Anonymous]

Waiting tables is way more dangerous. Older men, tons of alcohol, crazy night hours.

[Anonymous]

I wish I had gone to work in a hardware store, like my dad wanted me to do as a teenager (my mom would not have allowed it.) Would have been great experience.

[Anonymous]

I worked at a grocery store at 16. Had no interest in that trade either OP. teens get jobs for money. She can resume build and figure out what she wants to be later.

[Anonymous]

We had a high school babysitter who was going to high school half day and community college half day to become a diesel mechanic. Really impressive girl.