out of curiosity, what was your occupation and what were the jobs these women were applying for?
Cashiering positions in a few different stores (A hobby shop, a movie theater - etc)
I think it was more related to age: young teens were pippy, had energy, felt super awesome, lived at home, didn't have to take things too seriously because they didn't have kids - if they had a solid education they weren't likely to apply for base-wage positions, etc. They simply had less on the line.
Older women (and men) were more likely to have kids, be more serious, more decated at their work and more willing to do the dirty work when it needed to get done. . . etc. the issues I screened for went away with maturity.
The guys had their own set of issues - also related to age. Teen males seemed to *not hear* a lot of instruction and information on the job. They were more likely to forget to complete a task because "I didn't hear you, sorry" . . . So pre-screening for males the request to "repeat that, please" in an interview or over the phone more than once or without probable cause would be a sign that he didn't have his listening-ears on. . . and would likely be a continual problem.
So - I'd ask questions in interviews about future goals, money management, financial knowledge. I didn't expect anyone to have life squared away - but I wanted people who *needed* to work beyond 'because my Dad said I had to get a job or move out.' Overall - Every single employee I fired seemed less concerned about doing the necessary things to keep their job because they felt they could easily just get another one. . . so they were overall less dedicated.
Teens, however, who did live on their own were more responsible because life circumstances led them to that early on.
However - you can't come straight out and ask "do you have kids" and "do you live at home with your parents" - you have to try to devise that from different questions and answers.