

The rich have begun to work longer hours than the poor? - patrickk
http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21600989-why-rich-now-have-less-leisure-poor-nice-work-if-you-can-get-out?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/nicework

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ryguytilidie
Just reading through the article, it seems like they mean to say that the
middle class have less leisure than the poor. Someone finishing college and
working 60-80 hour weeks isn't generally "rich" at all.

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rahimnathwani
The title is misleading. Differences in the _mean_ time available for leisure
can be the result of (i) shorter hours worked by those who are fully employed,
or (ii) more people who are underemployed (working less than they/society
would like).

If all middle class people were to work 50 hours per week, and 50% of poor
people were to work 2 jobs (80 hours per week), whilst the remainder were
unable to find work, the mean leisure hours would show the middle class
working longer hours.

The median leisure hours of the two groups would be more useful.

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jackschultz
While the article mentions a bunch of different explanations for this
phenomena, most of them are from the point of view of the well-off. The most
telling explanation (in my opinion) is stuck at the bottom of the article.

The author mentions that, with the decreasing costs of leisure, "low-earners
do not need to work as long to enjoy a reasonably satisfying leisure." This is
the biggest difference when comparing current state of work to the Downton
Abbey era mentioned at the beginning of the article.

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cbhl
The way you word your comment implies that this statement is patently false.
Can you explain further?

Are you saying that low earners do not choose to work less, and if so, can you
explain why this is the case?

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jmalicki
In the United States, at least, the poor often have marginal tax rates nearing
or beyond 100%, once you include loss of means-tested benefits.

If high tax rates affect work ethic, it is most pronounced among the working
poor in the United States.

See, for example, [http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2012/07/effective-marginal-
ta...](http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2012/07/effective-marginal-tax-
rate.html)

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smtddr
_> >Why the rich now have less leisure than the poor_

Leisure = Free time.

I can annually go with my family to Paris for 2 weeks with the peace of mind
that I have a very-well-paying tech job waiting for me upon my return. And my
weekends are almost always completely relaxing.

A poor person can be not working months out of the year but filled with stress
and anxiety, watching daytime TV, wondering how to get the bills paid and
where/when the next job will come along.

If you're mentally full of stress & anxiety during your free time, was it
really free time? I'll take my weekends and 2 weeks in Paris over their
"leisure" anyday.

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tjtrapp
> Figures from the American Time Use Survey, released last year, show that
> Americans with a bachelor’s degree or above work two hours more each day
> than those without a high-school diploma.

The title is a bit off.

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throwwit
Maybe the article re-frames a cutback of full time jobs and their related
benefits. Isn't there an increase in the number of lower wage jobs in North
America?

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greedy_buffer
I wonder how many of those putting in long hours are expecting early
retirement, only for their savings to fall short.

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chris_mahan
What savings?

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greedy_buffer
I would assume it to be house price less mortgage balance, but not really
familiar with the situation in the US. How do people prepare for retirement?

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TheCoelacanth
Generally, they don't prepare nearly as much as they should, but you're
supposed to save money in retirement accounts such as a 401k or IRA.

