In the 1950s, academics forecast that as a result of new technology, by the year 2000 we could have a twenty-hour workweek.According to the Bureau of Statistics, the goods and services produced per hour of work in the United States has indeed more than doubled since 1950.Workers... rather have used their increased efficiencies and resulting increased disposable income to purchase more material goods. ...Indeed, in a cruel irony, the workweek has actually lengthened. ...More work is required to pay for more consumption, fueled by more production, in an endless, vicious circle.
Alan Lightman