Minimum Wage - Time to make change

Ethan Friedman

Original Research

Over the past month, I have been researching the minimum wage issues in Pennsylvania. I’ve conducted surveys among teenagers in Philadelphia. Throughout my research, I’ve discovered many different perspectives on the issue and have come to a conclusion.

When working on issues regarding money, it is important to take other factors into account, such as location, opportunity, and sources of income. When I conducted a survey with students in Philadelphia, I found out that 1 in every 9 students only lives with 1 adult figure.

Source: Google Forms: Original Research Survey

When you only have one source of income which is that adult’s job, it is very difficult to support a family. The population of Pennsylvania is approximately 12.81 million people according to the United States Census Bureau.  That means that about 1.4 million families in Pennsylvania are ran by a single parent. There is clearly a problem in the system if 11% of families can’t afford to live.

Part of being a teenager is spending time with your friends. Whether it be going out for lunch or going ice skating, most activities cost money. According to my survey, most students are unemployed.

This is important because the ability to become a social person, you need to have the opportunity to interact with people. The money would have to come from family.

A majority of students don’t receive money at all from their parents, so that will tie into the future once they do need to get a job and live on their own, they won’t have the skills that they would have had from socializing.

It isn’t ethical for a system to take place where 11% of families are treated unfairly and have no way out. Not every kid who grows up in a minimum wage will have the drive to be a scholarship worthey student. Their families can’t afford college like other families can. The same cycle continues because nobody without a degree can get a well paying job. The system needs a change.

Annotated Bibliography: here