Sociologists have noted that race and gender have been more politicized in the U.S. than class. In contrast, class is highly politicized in Europe, leading to a much stronger labor movement. The weak labor movement in the U.S. is partly to blame for the stingy federal policies around vacation and holidays. The U.S. federal government dictates that employees are given exactly zero paid holiday and vacation days a year (that means, if you get such things, it is because your employer is being generous/in a benefits arms race with other employers). 

This is one of the reasons why I'm torn about whether or not I really want a "full-time" job. Working freelance can be stressful when you are between work, and health care is completely unaffordable, but at least you don't get stuck with a 72-hour work week and no vacation time. I think a lot of other people are starting to feel the same way. What good is a pile of money if you can't spend it? Would you rather make $100,000/yr with limited vacation and 72-hour weeks or $50,000/yr, 40-hour weeks, and full month off? Maybe full-time work is overrated. Maybe it's not even something one should aspire to have. Maybe the current model for full-time employment is creating poor results in our largely service-based economy.

The model we currently have pushes people to constantly make more money and work longer hours so they can buy more "stuff" and live in more expensive places. No matter how much money you make it will never be enough. But you could have a different model. You could have a model where people accurately value their own time. You could have a model where you get an extra month of vacation instead of a bonus.

This report takes a new approach to looking at the value of work. We go beyond how much different professions are paid to look at what they contribute to society. We use some of the principles and valuation techniques of Social Return on Investment analysis to quantify the social, environmental and economic value that these roles produce – or in some cases undermine.

The above snippet is taken from the a recent report put out by the London-based New Economics Foundation. I'd encourage anyone with a passing interest in inequality and discrimination to give it a read. It's pretty short and easy to read.

It's a little too antagonistic in tone for my taste, but interesting nonetheless. I'm also somewhat disappointed by the professions they looked at:

• Investment banker
• Advertising executive
• Tax accountant
• Hospital cleaner
• Recycling plant worker
• Childcare worker

This report challenges a host of economically and socially damaging myths about pay and value. Chief among them – and the point of our research – is the idea that there is a straightforward relationship between high financial rewards and good societal outcomes. As we have seen, this simply is not the case.

You can download the full report in PDF format here.