Jacobin Radio Behind the News: The Case for a Four-Day Workweek w/ Juliet Schor
Jul 14, 2025
Juliet Schor, a Sociology professor at Boston College and author of 'Four Days a Week', discusses the positive impacts of a shortened workweek on well-being and productivity. Catherine Moose, an Assistant Professor at UMass, adds insights on teacher stress and the urgent need for better working conditions. They dive into successful experiments with reduced hours across various industries, examine historical labor movements, and propose reforms particularly beneficial for educators. All this reveals a compelling case for redefining traditional work norms.
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Work Hours and Technology Myth
- Rapid technological progress was expected to reduce work hours, but U.S. hours started rising again in the 1970s.
- Nixon's 1956 prediction of a four-day week was based on forgotten era of prior working hours reduction.
Origins of 40-Hour Workweek
- The five-day, 40-hour week originated partly from Orthodox rabbis' efforts to protect the Jewish Sabbath.
- Unions and business shaped the eventual adoption of the 40-hour workweek during the Great Depression and New Deal.
US Workweeks Longer Globally
- The U.S. has longer workweeks compared to most developed countries, including Germany and France.
- Tokyo city government adopted a four-day workweek for its employees, signaling change internationally.
