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85 Monthly Lab. Rev. 249 (1962)
Recent Growth of Paid Leisure for U.S. Workers

handle is hein.journals/month85 and id is 273 raw text is: Recent Growth
of Paid Leisure
for U.S. Workers
PETER HsNum*

TRADITIONALLY, the American economy has been
oriented more toward work than leisure. American
habits of Eying and Americauk cultural standards
have tended to emphasize the virtues of work and
the vices of idleness. Of course, in the Nation's
earlier years, there was little choice; only through
constant toil could the early settlers provide for
themselves and their families. Long working
hours were the accepted practice for the early
industrial-enterprises as well.
Gradually, a productive economy and a changing
climate of public opinion made possible more
leisure time. One of the primary goals of early
union activity was a -shorter workday and work-
week. The value of rest away from work and the
adverse effects on health of long hours became
recognized. The accepted standard for hours of
work declined slowly, through voluntary action by
employers, collective bargaining, and State and
Federal legislation. The 12-hour day gave way
to the 10- and then the 8-hour standard, and
eventually the 40-hour, 5-day week became the
norm. A more recent development has been the
emphasis on other forms of leisure-the paid
vacation and the paid holiday. Before World
War II, these were quite limited for hourly-paid
workers, although many salaried workers had been
receiving this type of benefit.
Increased leisure has also been a byproduct of
various shifts within the economy. The decline
in employment in agriculture and small retail
stores, both of which traditionally have involved
long hours, has meant an automatic drop in aver-
age working hours.
This growth of leisure time has played a major
role in shifting the patterns of family living and in
stimulating more widespread travel, sports, and

recreation activity throughout the country. Much
of the output of the American economy now con-
sists of end-products for leisure-time use or
consumption. For example, while       the gross
national product grew by 14 percent between 1957
and 1960, consumer expenditures for foreign travel
were up 34 percent; books and maps, 28 percent;
theater and opera, 26 percent; and commercial
participant amusements (such as bowling), 30
percent.
The purpose of this article is to bring together
statistics which the Bureau of Labor Statistics has
compiled from time to time on various aspects of
leisure time, primarily hours of work, paid vaca-
tions, and paid holidays. It also attempts, for
the first time, to measure changes in the average
worker's available leisure time in the 20 years
1940-60. In doing so, leisure time is not defined
simply 'as time away from work because, in an
economic sense, leisure has little meaning unless it
represents paid   time taken   voluntarily. The
individual concerned has to be assured that he can
spend time away from work without sacrificing
living standards for himself and his family. It is
in this sense that leisure time is used in this article.
Hours of Work
Hours of work have been declining for over a
century.' The most marked reductions occurred
between 1900 and 1930, when average weekly hours
dropped from about 67 to 55 in agriculture and
from 56 to 43 for nonagricultural workers,
During the depression of the 1930's, working
hours were further reduced, but by necessity rather
than choice, Most of the industry codes promul-
gated under the National Industrial Recovery Act
between 1933 and 1935 included provisions limit-
ing the workweek to 40 hours (in some cases, 35)
in an effort to stimulate greater employment.
The enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act
in 1938 represented legislative decision that 40
hours a week constituted a desirable standard,
with certain exceptions, for workers in interstate
commerce. Work after 40 hours was not pro-
hibited, but was made expensive to schedule by
requiring that such hours be paid for at the penalty
rate of time and one-half. The new standard was
introduced gradually, beginning with 44 hours for
*Speci Ao astnt to the Comraslwae, Burea of Labor Statistics.
I The workweek In American Industry, 1W,-19M Mao t b L be
Reak., January IM, pp. 23-29.
249

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