The New Zealand Herald's Divided City series showed that after 25 years of technological and social reform, the gaps between the rich and poor in Auckland have remained stubbornly embedded. About the same time as the series, figures came out showing youth are hardest hit of all in the current
Alan France and David Craig: Tough times for the young
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Young people make up 45 per cent of our unemployed. Photo / Thinkstock
Our best longitudinal studies, including the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development study, show that those who are most disadvantaged- both early in life and at crucial life course junctures like youth- are at greater risk of short and long term lower wages, and of needing social assistance and benefits just to get by.
These figures show that many young people in New Zealand are under significant pressure in their everyday lives. 'Getting by', let alone 'getting on' in life is becoming increasingly difficult yet we see very little recognition of how tough these times are for the young.
In fact, we, as a society, are quick to condemn them or blame them for the problems they face. We are also quick to judge them, to accuse them of being disrespectful and to show them little tolerance for their mistakes.
What we see across a range of media and political debates is a perception of youth as a problem to be managed who need to be treated harshly when they step out of line or make a mistake.
What gets missed in much of this debate is the risks young people face. For example, it is not surprising that New Zealand has a growing mental health problem amongst the young or one of the highest youth suicide rates in the OECD.
As a recent Mental Health Commission Report (2011) said, 'Compared with other OECD countries, New Zealand has a higher suicide rate for males aged 15 to24 years than in any other country except Iceland and Finland. The New Zealand female youth suicide rate in 2008 was higher than that of any other OECD country, including Finland, Japan, Sweden and the Republic of Korea'.
These are some of the risks we run if we do not tackle this problem head on. Not only will the gap between rich and poor remain but the health of our young people is at risk. It is time government invested in our young and took the challenges they face seriously.
* Professor Alan France is Head of the Department of Sociology at The University of Auckland. Associate Professor David Craig is at the National Centre for Lifecourse Research, the University of Otago.