Ahya Simone started this insightful thread about reassessing the 40-hour work week. We really are in the perfect place to reassess labor in general and some countries have already started. Iceland recently trialed a four-day work week and about 85% of workers are currently, or on the way to, working four days a week instead of five. Even though they’re working less, their pay hasn’t declined and their productivity and well-being have actually gone up. Their four-day week has been called an “overwhelming success” by researchers. A shorter work week is also being tested in Sweden, Spain and Japan. Anyway, here is the thread talking about it:
Source: Ahya Simone
(via: Geek Girls)
What do you think about the 40-hour work week? Let us know in the comments below!
Something else to bear in mind, when the 40 hour week developed in most cases it was mostly only men who worked that. Women, once married, tended not to work outside the home. Unmarried men and women of working age mostly lived with parents or other family members. Grocery shopping, child care, school activities (where they existed), running errands &c, all handled by the wife whilst the husband went out to paid work. For most people it worked. One adult working 40 hours a week, having only a secondary education, could fund a home, pay for food, pay for entertainment and often pay for a week or two holiday each year.
Now, it often takes one person working full time to just pay the rent or mortgage and the other works full time to pay for food and the other bills. Corporate profits and limited house building have driven up costs so now one person struggles to house, feed and clothe themselves, let alone a partner and kids.