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Labor as Education

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Labouring and Learning

Part of the book series: Geographies of Children and Young People ((GCYP,volume 10))

Abstract

This chapter presents a more nuanced approach to children’s work than what appears in the dominant discourse of abolishing “child labor.” In many societies, children’s work is seen as a component of attentive child-rearing, conveying benefits for the children with respect both to their immediate well-being and to their future prospects. Work has immediate economic benefits for children and their families, which are especially important in situations of poverty and which are not always confined to the short term. Work can also confer social, psychological, and cognitive benefits that contribute in the longer term to child development and to incorporation into the child’s community. Moreover, particularly in situations of poverty, schooling frequently fails to overcome disadvantages of background or to guarantee future security for children. For many children, a combination of work and school provides the best chance of development to their fullest potential.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Zimbabwe, 12A Tunsgate Park, 33 Northwood Rise, Mt Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Michael F. C. Bourdillon

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  1. Michael F. C. Bourdillon
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Correspondence to Michael F. C. Bourdillon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian University of Sciences and Tec, Norwegian Centre for Child Research Norwegian University of Sciences and Tec, TRONDHEIM, Norway

    Tatek Abebe

  2. School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Johanna Waters

  3. Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Tracey Skelton

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Bourdillon, M.F.C. (2015). Labor as Education. In: Abebe, T., Waters, J., Skelton, T. (eds) Labouring and Learning. Geographies of Children and Young People, vol 10. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4585-97-2_3-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4585-97-2_3-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-4585-97-2

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