"The Rise in Family Work Hours Leads Many Americans to Struggle to Balance Work and Family"
Jared Bernstein
The Economic Policy Institute, July 2004.
According to research by the Economic Policy Institute, the amount of hours worked by families rose 11 percent between 1975 and 2002. The EPI says that this data disproves the notion that the average work week has not increased significantly (a mere 3 percent according to most estimates) over the last quarter decade. The researchers argue that previous studies which focused on average employee work hours are misleading. The EPI contends that “the primary factor driving the flat trend in average hours is the entry of more women into the labor force,” because women are more likely to work part time, driving down the national average. The researchers conclude that the rise in hours worked summed across the family is a more accurate depiction of the degree to which today's workers struggle to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
