liet B. SchorChapters 3 to 5SummaryIn chapter three Juliet Schor compares today’s working hours the Middle Ages or the time before the Industrial revolution. She argues that back then there was less leisure time and the work environment was less stressful compared to today. Additionally, she agues that capitalists try to spread a myth that the 40-hour workweek is the least employees have ever worked in history.Chapter four deals with the work that needs to be completed at home on top of the increasing hours worked at jobs. Schor argues that females carry the highest burden of housework. Today females are working the same hours as their male counterparts and still have to take care of children and cook meals. The author sees the possibility that children do not get the attention at home they need.Chapter five deals with the high level of consumption predominant in society today. Since we make more than we did 50 years ago and our economy’s productivity has doubled we are inclined to spend more. This has led to widespread debt among the middle class. Schor classifies the average American as “homo economicus”. She calls this phenomenon a cycle of work and spend. We make a lot of money yet spend it all on consumer products thus raising productivity.Critical Analysis It seems as though we are so caught up in our hectic lifestyles that we simply do not have time to seriously evaluate economic and political situations. As a student with a life full of responsibilities and deadlines, it seems as though I just cannot find the time to seriously help oppose our economic “situation”. However, as an individual in a democratic society it should be one of my main priorities to critically evaluate our government’s agenda. I believe corporations are largely to blame for creating this fast-paced society. Corporations have even made it easier for us to cope with this accelerated lifestyle by providing fra...
