Yes, we work hard these days, but we work a lot less than we used to

Sometimes it feels like all anyone has time to do these days is work.

And thanks to decades of stagnant wages, a lot of people do have to work grueling hours, and multiple jobs, just to tread water.

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But as these charts from Max Roser at Our World In Data show, on average, in developed countries, people work a lot less than they used to.

Max Roser, Our World In Data

Max Roser, Our World In Data

One caveat on these charts is that they show hours-worked-per-employed-person, not hours worked per-capita. The entry of many women into the out-of-home work force over the last five decades has meant that, in many countries, the percentage of the population counted as “working” has risen sharply. So in many households, the total-hours-worked-per-household has probably risen.

(Of course, as anyone who has managed all the work around a house will attest—especially without modern shopping, cooking, and cleaning tools—women have busted their butts for centuries. It’s only recently however that their work has been counted as “work.”)