Skip to main content
Humanities LibreTexts

Away from Home - by Joselina Islas

  1. Last updated
  2. Save as PDF
  • Page ID
    186602

    • Joselina Islas at Pima Community College
    \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Today’s society is overworked, overstressed and lacking love and compassion. A regular work week is 40 hours per week; 8 hours per day, 5 days a week. However, add in the unpaid lunch hour and the commute and you can easily spend 10 or more hours dedicated to your work day.

    I work a regular 40 hour a week job. My kids are at daycare for at least 10 hours a day. They are 3 and 1. By the time we get home my kids are tired and hungry, sometimes my baby is so tired he does not want to eat dinner. There is a good amount of whining and crying when we get home. I don’t have much time to cook a decent meal. Oftentimes I rely on frozen food or fast food. My baby likes to nurse as soon as we get home and cries if I try to do anything else. However, my 3 year-old sometimes cries because I’m nursing the baby instead of getting his dinner. I get them fed and then we spend about 30 minutes together before I start to get them ready for bed.

    A 30 hour work week would be so much more beneficial to families. If I could work 9am-3pm with no lunch, that would give me enough time to make breakfast AND dinner. The kids would have adequate sleep. I would have enough time to actually take and pick up my 15 year-old from school. There would be less crying and screaming. Everyone would be well rested and well fed. My family would be healthier and happier. I know there are part-time jobs available, but the problem is there are few jobs under 35 hours per week that provide benefits such as PTO, holiday pay, and insurance. There are also very few professional part-time jobs, which results in lower pay.

    Studies have shown increased happiness for employees and their families by reducing the work day. Productivity is not lost with a shorter work day, in fact it may even increase. People are less stressed and more motivated to work efficiently. Most who work 8 hour days are not fully productive for the whole day. There is a lot of time wasted talking to coworkers, taking breaks, checking emails, and using cell phones.
    Our current structure for our working society is putting a strain on not just the parents, but the children as well. I don’t believe the effect on children is talked about enough. Children are directly affected by lack of sleep and nutrition. Behavior can change and more tantrums may appear. They are also indirectly affected by their parents' stress. Parents may yell more and have less patience for their children. Some parents may even use alcohol and/or drugs to cope with their stressful life. All of this could lead to more trauma for the children. This, of course, is not the situation for all working families, but it is the reality for many.

    Working less will allow families to spend more time together at home. A child or baby being able to be with their parents instead of in a daycare. Home cooked meals instead of canned or frozen foods. Smiles and laughter instead of yelling and crying.

    Works Cited

    Glaveski, Steve. “The Case for the 6-Hour Workday.” Harvard Business Review, 11 Dec. 2018, https://hbr.org/2018/12/the-case-for...6-hour-workday.

    Hsu, Andrea. “Iceland Cut Its Work Week and Found Greater Happiness and No Loss in Productivity.” NPR, NPR, 6 July 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/07/06/10133...rter-work-week.

    This page titled Away from Home - by Joselina Islas is shared under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Joselina Islas at Pima Community College.