Americans Work Long Hours

American's work hours might not fit their desired life. The traditional belief in the family man dedicated to his work still holds true, but with an important turn in affairs. Wives, who in the past made sure the family was attended to, now devote their own long hours to a career.

Long Hours

The schedules typical employees agree to keep them busy a large part of each week. The 40 hour standard has set the mark for 3 decades. Weekly hours above the standard are fairly common. At most businesses today, women follow the same old standard. Callings in real estate brokerage or mid level business management take no less time to fulfill than the men's.

Men have not compensated for the time their wives spend at work. Among 19 industrialized nations, the United States currently holds the highest position for total hours at work in one year. As the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reports, in 1979, the American spent, on average, 1, 834 hours fulfilling work responsibilities. France and Spain each could say their citizens dedicated more time, 1,856 and 2,022. After efforts to reduce the time citizens spend away from their homes and social life, in 2006, France arrived at the national average of 1,564, and Spain came down to a little below America's top 1,804 hours, at 1,764.

Working Families

Now that many families have double work commitments, time to spend with family is often in short supply. According to the EPI, the hours middle income married couples with children spend at work rose considerably from 3,035 hours in 1979 to 3, 603 in 2006. A couple has to dedicate above 69 hours each week to make that annual total. The 19.4 percent increase was due mostly to women committing more time to success. Over these 27 years, women's hours sprung up from 892 to 1,383, a 56 percent change.

With enough room in the weekly schedule, workers can plan more family time. Perhaps more important, the off time has to come during the parts of the days the family needs the parent. Across the country, employers have agreed to alternative work schedules so the employee can plan their time commitments. Sara Lee and Walmart offer flexible schedules to their employees. An employee at Sara Lee can work from home or another place in the community where family needs attention.

The AFL-CIO recommends labor groups bargain with employers for alternative work schedules in labor contracts. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245 secured flextime from San Francisco Computer Center Output Processing. Employees can choose start and end times. Other bargaining options include part time with benefits, short weeks, voluntary time reductions and two employees sharing one full time job.

Look ahead to stronger attempts to rebalance work time and family time. This century, the rise in women's work commitments has not moved higher. The many alternatives to the standard 40 hour week give married employees and their employers plenty to agree on to save time for family.

Sources:

Economic Policy Institute, The State of Working America 2008/2009
Claire Shipman and Mary Pflum of ABC Good Morning America, Womenomics: Can Women Blend Work and Family Better With Flextime? (June 2, 2009)
AFL-CIO Working Women's Department, Bargaining Fact Sheet: Control Over Work Hours and Alternative Work Schedules (Spring 2001)