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This pathbreaking book explains why, contrary to all expectations, Americans are working harder than ever. Juliet Schor presents the astonishing news that over the past twenty years our working hours have increased by the equivalent of one month per year--a dramatic spurt that has hit everybody: men and women, professionals as well as low-paid workers. Why are we--unlike every other industrialized Western nation--repeatedly "choosing" money over time? And what can we do to get off the treadmill?

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Figures(p. xi)
• Tables(p. xiii)
• Preface to The Paperback Edition(p. xv)
• Preface(p. xvii)
• Chapter 1 The Overworked American(p. 1)
• Chapter 2 Time Squeeze: the Extra Month of Work(p. 17)
• Chapter 3 "A Life at Hard Labor" Capitalism and Working Hours(p. 43)
• Chapter 4 Overwork in the Household(p. 83)
• Chapter 5 The Insidious Cycle Of Work-And-Spend(p. 107)
• Chapter 6 Exiting the Squirrel Cage(p. 139)
• Appendix(p. 167)
• Notes(p. 175)
• Bibliography(p. 219)
• Index(p. 235)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This is a book with an important message that unfortunately will probably not be taken seriously. Schor, a Harvard economist, argues from statistics what the rest of us know from experience, that ``in the last twenty years the amount of time Americans have spent at their jobs has risen steadily.'' And the statistics, if accurate, are stunning. Each year our work year increases by one day. We average only 16 hours of leisure a week after jobs and household chores. Working hours are longer than they were 40 years ago. And if present trends continue by the year 2000, we will be spending as much time at our jobs as we did in the 1920s. However, as Schor notes, we are also willing victims of this erosion of leisure as we pursue promotions, bigger salaries, and conspicuous consumption. Her solution? Hold jobs to a set number of hours per week, offer comp time for any overtime, and lower our living standards. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-- Jeffrey R. Herold, Bucyrus P.L., Ohio (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

An important, hard-hitting, well-documented look at the overworking of America, this study finds that Americans now spend more hours working than at any time since WW II. 75,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

In The Overworked American, economist Schor presents a lucid argument about the decline of leisure in America. Her argument about the causes and consequences of increasing work hours in America is extremely readable as well as being documented by solid evidence. It is one of those rare volumes that combines the best of the popular and scholarly writing without compromising either. This combination results in a book that is invaluable to graduate and undergraduate students as well as the public at large. A must for all libraries. T. Juravich; Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus

Booklist Review

The inevitability of the 30-hour work week and the three-day weekend has long been assumed. Harvard economics professor Schor, however, presents contradictory and surprising findings. In the last 20 years, Americans have added an average of more than 17 days a year to their work schedules and they work an equivalent of more than two months per year longer than do French and German workers. She also challenges long-held assumptions about the lack of leisure in Greek, Roman, and agrarian societies. Schor analyzes the social, political, and economic implications of her findings and attributes this decrease in leisure to flawed capitalism and excessive consumerism. She suggests employers prefer that employees, especially salaried ones, work longer hours because it is cheaper than hiring additional employees and that a consumption-driven labor force has little choice but to work more. Schor offers radical solutions: a mandated four-week vacation for every American, paid paternal leave, and prorated fringe benefits. This is a book with a challenging, provocative message. A comprehensive bibliography will prove useful to those seeking additional information. ~--David Rouse

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Juliet Schor is associate professor of economics at Harvard University