The average American works more hours than a medieval peasant

The average American works more hours than a medieval peasantThe average American works more hours than a medieval peasantThink youre working less thanpeasants did way back in the medieval ages?Although jobs have changed significantly since then, chances are, youre probably wrong.Research fromJuliet Schor, currently a Professor of Sociology at Boston College, from her textThe Overworked American The Unexpected Decline of Leisure, shows this isnt the case. The average American worker in 1987 was working about 1,949 hours annually, while an adult male peasant in 13th-century U.K. racked up approximately 1620 yearly. Schor provides details in the text about how working hours have changed over centuries, and why.You might be thinking, thats nice and all, but it isnt the 80s anymore - how are we doing in the 21st century?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWell, the average American emp loyee nowreportedly works slightly less at 1,811 hours annually, based on information from a Pew analysis of 2015 Labor Department data - the most recent data available.How workers hours stand up against the pastSo, how do thehours stack up across various generations and time periods in history - both in the U.S. and the U.K.? While each group had its own estimated methodology, heresthe amount of working hours various groups listed in the research had, from least to mostCasual laborer, U.K. (14th century) 1,440 hoursAdult male peasant, U.K. (13th century) 1,620 hoursAverage worker, U.S. (2015)1,811 hoursManufacturing workers, U.K. (1988) 1856 hoursAverage worker, U.S. (1987) 1,949 hoursFarmer-miner, adult male, U.K. (1400-1600) 1,980 hoursEnglish worker (Middle Ages) 2,309 hoursThis article was first published on May 7, 2018.