Should we allow our 15 year old daughter to get a job?

Here’s the situation: She’s a great kid (fly on Fluther), very responsible. Pretty good neighborhood, but surrounding neighborhoods aren’t quite as safe. She’d have to walk or ride her bike to any job she got… within maybe 2 miles. The roads she’d use to get there all have sidewalks, and are regularly traveled.

I have mixed feelings about it. I’ve always been over-protective, so I understand the need for safety, but at some point a young woman should be able to walk the sidewalks of her (fairly safe) town alone. I was leaning towards letting her do it, as long as I felt the route was pretty safe.

Her father (my ex) says “absolutely not – no job until she can drive herself there”. He doesn’t think a young female should be walking/biking around by herself. In other words, if she were a boy, he might feel differently.

She really wants to get a job, and won’t be able to drive until after Christmas of 2010. I told her I’d ask the collective for opinions. Thanks!