{"id":40343,"date":"2021-07-03T18:10:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-03T22:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=40343"},"modified":"2021-07-04T18:22:05","modified_gmt":"2021-07-04T22:22:05","slug":"history-of-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/history-of-work\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brief History of Work\u2014and Redefining Work Today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you familiar with the history of work? Do you know how work can be redefined today\u2014and what difference that can make for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Your Money or Your Life<\/a><\/em>, Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez share a brief history of work from ancient times, through the Industrial Revolution<\/a> and the Great Depression<\/a>, down to the present day. This perspective can help us understand how work relates to our identity and calling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn about the history of work and how work can be redefined today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The History of Work Is a Guide to Understanding Work Today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Knowing history can help us understand the present. When it comes to work\u2014and the perception of work\u2014the history of work can provide insights to how work relates to our identity and calling today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunter-Gatherer Times and the History of Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For the majority of human history, humans lived in hunter-gatherer groups. But hunting and gathering isn\u2019t as time-consuming as you\u2019d think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern-day hunter-gatherers average just 15 hours of work per week, far below our \u201cnormal\u201d 40. They often work for two days, then take two days off, with work, family time, and leisure blending together. This shows that we need about three hours of work per day for basic survival.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work During the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today, we accept the standard 40-hour workweek and think less of people who work part-time. But how did we come to fill our time with so much paid work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, the Industrial Revolution sped up the pace of work and shrunk leisure time. People who worked in factories worked long hours doing very repetitive tasks. In 1900, workers averaged 60 hours a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A movement emerged calling for a reduction in work time. As a result of this movement, the average workweek dropped to 35 hours. But the Great Depression reversed this progress. Suddenly, many people were jobless, which was pivotal in the history of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, instead of valuing the right to leisure time, people valued the right to work<\/a>.<\/strong> People thought poorly of not having a job, or working less than full time, and viewed leisure time as a missed opportunity to contribute to the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redefining Work Today<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our definitions of work vary because they\u2019re drawn from media, culture, what our parents taught us, and other experiences. A common definition of work is that it\u2019s what we need to do to survive, or \u201cmake a living.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this definition falls short for two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n