You only live once and you have to spend most of your time working. Even worse is now in order to get by many times both parents have to work while kids go to daycare.
2007-08-01 06:00:16 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Marriage & Divorce
JS - you can chose to "work as much or as little" as you want. But that is not always true. Most places will only offer you healthcare if you work 40+ hrs. (If at all) Then if not healthcare would cost almost $1000 for a family!!!!
2007-08-01 06:17:20 · update #1
froicous13 - I'm not going to give you a social lesson, but: most Canadians and Mexicans I've met don't generally call themselves Americans! I could be wrong though.
2007-08-01 06:19:30 · update #2
America! The greatest country in the world. We're spoiled here! Many people choose to work a lot to get "things"! The more "things" they want, the more they have to work! In some other countries, there is no choice! Everyone works! Even the little kids! And not to get "things" but to survive! I feel very lucky to be living in America. I feel lucky that I can choose to work as much or as little as I want! Like I said, this is the greatest country in the world!
2007-08-01 06:13:45 · answer #1 · answered by J S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was born in the US and started working when I was 15 to have the car that I needed to get to school and back after I finished high school, I had very few weeks of less than 60 hour work weeks, that was to make ends meet. In the US you do work more hours than needed, that is to help keep you living a decent life. I moved to Ontario when I was 22, same case here, my husband knows he has to work a minimum of 67 hours per week to keep the bills & mortgage paid at the end of the month, if he misses a day of work its a stuggle for the rest of the month. A lot of the over working is choice, but then there are the ones that its a must do kind of thing.
Good question though.
2007-08-01 13:36:24 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. I'm American but living in Ireland for 6 years now. Here, it's standard for people to get 6 weeks vacation (yes, just starting a job) and there are more national holidays. More mom's can afford to stay home (maternity leave is typically 3 months) with excellent tax rebates/social welfare payments. Family life seems to be much better (certainly much larger on average).... all as a result of time of work, I don't know.
best of luck balancing your life!
2007-08-01 13:10:58 · answer #3 · answered by ollie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think society places pressure on people to have new things, a nice house, a new car, the latest computer etc etc.
People are working more to afford these luxuries.
Couple this with a low minimum wage for those who didn't do well in school and it adds up to lots of hours.
When I was in school only my dad worked, my mom stayed at home, we had everything we needed and we were happy.
Today it seems like a conspiracy that we are worthless unless we have new things all the time.
2007-08-01 13:29:52 · answer #4 · answered by PokerPlayer 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Good question. Taxes in the USA aren't great but lower than many places (sure we get fewer government services), and some people will always need to have more than one job going on in the family.
Question is, how much of it is voluntarily done to ourselves? How many people work extra jobs just to buy nicer cars than they really need, etc?
I'm here in Northern Virginia where people are making six figures and the other spouse is working just to have another six figures.
Needs exist, but beyond that, some people just have different priorities.
Good philosophical question though.
2007-08-01 13:06:11 · answer #5 · answered by Rob S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It seems to me like Americans do work too much. It's almost "mandatory," if you want to get ahead and stay ahead, to have at least two incomes coming into the house and also, it seems commonplace over here for some people to have at least two jobs and a working partner.....
I'm not sure if these people are killing themselves just to survive....or if it's because of the material world we live in.
2007-08-01 13:34:40 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
my wife and i were just talking about this last night, she was noting how she only has 2 weeks left on maternity leave, and started talking about how far "behind" we are when other nations like italy have 6 months off, so i posed the question, quit your job if we sacrifice half our income (close to what socialist nations pay in income taxes) you can get all the time off every Holiday, permanent vacation, I'm sure my income and 3 dependents would get us the medicaid free health care like the other nations, her response was we need the money for the quality of life, BINGO!!!!!
2007-08-01 13:46:40 · answer #7 · answered by eyesinthedrk 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes some do...just to make ends meet. Some make the choice to work long hours and days to afford the lifestyle that they have chosen for themselves.
2007-08-01 13:03:37 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes I think we have to work to much, and still most people I know even when both spouses are working live paycheck to paycheck
2007-08-01 13:52:58 · answer #9 · answered by his wife 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So the world turns.....Yes we have to work hard if we want our kids to have better then us. But, if you have a good job then only one parents has to work and if it is a good enough job then he is home too to help.
2007-08-01 13:04:16 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋