Four-Day Week

Archive Report

Labor's Drive to Shorten the Work Week

Mounting union pressure for a reduction in hours of work, without loss of take-home pay, raises the possibility that the four-day week will gradually become the general work pattern in this country. The five-day week, first widely introduced in the 1930s, has greatly influenced the American mode of living. The two-day holiday each week has promoted settlement in the suburbs and encouraged week-end motor trips. Large new markets have been opened up. Textile and clothing enterprises have benefited from a growing demand for informal clothes for leisure wear. The “do-it-yourself” movement, serving home owners who now have sufficient time for all kinds of improvement projects, has created virtually the equivalent of a new industry.

If hours of work now ...

locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles