Why Can't We Vacation like the French?

C

Cypress

Well-known member
Total Legally Guaranteed Paid Vacation in Days

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"The United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation." Take notice of that word "only." Every other advanced economy offers a government guarantee of paid vacation to its workforce. Britain assures its workforce of 20 days of guaranteed, compensated leave. Germany gives 24. And France gives, yes, 30.

We guarantee zero. Absolutely none.


This is strange. Of all these countries, the United States is, by far, the richest. And you would think that, as our wealth grew and our productivity increased, a certain amount of our resources would go into, well, us. Into leisure. Into time off. You would think that we'd take advantage of the fact that we can create more wealth in less time to wrest back some of those hours for ourselves and our families.

But instead, the exact opposite has happened. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American man today works 100 more hours a year than he did in the 1970s, according to Cornell University economist Robert Frank. That's 2 1/2 weeks of added labor. The average woman works 200 more hours -- that's five added weeks. And those hours are coming from somewhere: from time with our kids, our friends, our spouses, even our bed. The typical American sleeps one to two hours less a night than his or her parents did.

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=why_we_dont_vacation_like_the_french
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Yeah, three weeks at least would be good. I agree with this.

And what's that about the average man working 100 hours more a year, and the average woman working 200 more hours a year than in the 70's?

Who would have ever suspected.
 
"This is strange. Of all these countries, the United States is, by far, the richest. And you would think that, as our wealth grew and our productivity increased, a certain amount of our resources would go into, well, us. Into leisure. Into time off. You would think that we'd take advantage of the fact that we can create more wealth in less time to wrest back some of those hours for ourselves and our families."

The US is the richest? Maybe in total. Per capita we, maybe, make about 3 or 5 thousand a year more than most of them.

But I think that if we had mandatory 30 days of paid vacation a year (for even entry-level jobs) it would soon fall to about France's level.
 
Watermark said:
Yes - but you're trying to act like the American worker works all the time without reprieve.
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Many do. And even if you have some paid vacation time, few are in the position of having more than two weeks, and that is if they are lucky.

Yes, I know there are exceptions, but I am talking about most workers.
 
"But instead, the exact opposite has happened. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American man today works 100 more hours a year than he did in the 1970s, according to Cornell University economist Robert Frank. That's 2 1/2 weeks of added labor. The average woman works 200 more hours -- that's five added weeks. And those hours are coming from somewhere: from time with our kids, our friends, our spouses, even our bed. The typical American sleeps one to two hours less a night than his or her parents did."

Cy, that's like an extra 30 minuts a day. And the reason we don't sleep as much probably has to do with the vast amount of entertainment and lights we surround ourselves with.
 
Darla said:
Many do. And even if you have some paid vacation time, few are in the position of having more than two weeks, and that is if they are lucky.

Yes, I know there are exceptions, but I am talking about most workers.
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OK, you're probably right there. I wouldn't know, so I won't pretend to be some kind of expert on the situation.
 
Watermark said:
"But instead, the exact opposite has happened. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American man today works 100 more hours a year than he did in the 1970s, according to Cornell University economist Robert Frank. That's 2 1/2 weeks of added labor. The average woman works 200 more hours -- that's five added weeks. And those hours are coming from somewhere: from time with our kids, our friends, our spouses, even our bed. The typical American sleeps one to two hours less a night than his or her parents did."

Cy, that's like an extra 30 minuts a day. And the reason we don't sleep as much probably has to do with the vast amount of entertainment and lights we surround ourselves with.
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"You work three jobs to make ends meet, young lady? That's wonderful...that's uniquely american, ladies and gentlemen!" -- GEORGE BUSH, 2004 Town Hall meeting
 
Lol....

Watermark said:
"This is strange. Of all these countries, the United States is, by far, the richest. And you would think that, as our wealth grew and our productivity increased, a certain amount of our resources would go into, well, us. Into leisure. Into time off. You would think that we'd take advantage of the fact that we can create more wealth in less time to wrest back some of those hours for ourselves and our families."

The US is the richest? Maybe in total. Per capita we, maybe, make about 3 or 5 thousand a year more than most of them.

But I think that if we had mandatory 30 days of paid vacation a year (for even entry-level jobs) it would soon fall to about France's level.
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This from the person who hangs in Pizza Hut toilets..and has .....!!! like ya would know about European vacations...in your dreams..how does it feel when the spin is turned back on some simple comment ya made awhile back..enjoy the spin!
 
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