Do americans really work so many hours?

[nameta9]

From those I know and see most work about 8 hours, 5 days a week. But I read on the internet that alot of americans work 50 hours or more a week. Is this really true or is it only a small portion of the population? Thanks for any real life data!

[swansont]

Yes. Not everyone is on a 40-hour week, paid with an hourly wage. Many are on salary, and expected to work until the work is done. Some work the extra hours to get ahead. And plenty work a second (and third) job because they can't get by on what they make with just one job.

[nameta9]

What pecentage of the population would you imagine pull off more than 40 hours a week in America? In my suburb south NJ, many people I know don't seem to do that much extra time. Is it just that I don't notice or is it real? Also I read of people doing like 12 to 14 hours a day. Are they serious? If you are working intense and concentrated I can't figure how long anyone can last. I think they are exaggerating or wasting alot of hours "not intense" to add them up....

[swansont]

According to link #9 here (overworkedandunderworkedamericans.pdf), about 25% of men and 10% of women claim to work 50 or more hours a week.

 

You might look for data from the "current population survey" done by the bureau of labor statistics for more info

[Coral Rhedd]

Actually, I don't even want to work 8 hours a day, five days a week. I am one of those lazy Americans who give everyone else a bad name. I would say that most people I know work about 45 hours a week. But when you count commutes and lunch meetings, I do know people that devote time to work of 70 hours a week.

 

When I was a child my father worked up to 70-80 hours every week. This kind of burned me when it came to work. I would have felt differently if he had seemed happy.

[Phi for All]

The real tragedy is the fact that most family households have two income earners so they can afford their house payments and all the luxuries the television tells them they need. They work 100 hours between the husband and wife, then spend their money on fast food because they think they have no time to cook. They spend their time buying lots of cheap clothes that wear out quickly, instead of a few high quality pieces that are a pleasure to wear and last longer. They buy exercise equipment so they can work out in their basements, then try to park as close to the store as possible so they don't have to walk too far.

 

They buy all the latest gadgets that make their home cozier, then complain that they don't get out enough. They sit in front of the television for hours and then wonder why they never have enough time for other things.

[Mokele]

To provide an example of the opposite of Phi's, I have a better appartment, more savings, nicer stuff, andcan afford more pets than my friends who have the same income, simply because I budget well and restrain myself. I deal with lack of time for cooking via 83 cent-per-can microwavable ravioli, for instance, rather than $5-per-meal fast food. But most people don't get this, and just spend like mad. Budgeting is lost on most people.

 

Gee, why can I afford good stuff? Maybe because I'm the only grad student without a cell phone and an iPod?

 

Mokele