A Fair Day's Work
The Quest to Win Back Time
Book •
A Fair Day's Work: The Quest to Win Back Time traces the history of campaigns for shorter working hours, from the eight-hour movement to contemporary debates about work–life balance.
Sean Scalmer examines the political and social arguments used by workers to secure time for family, leisure and civic life, highlighting how these movements were shaped by gendered assumptions.
The book discusses how labour activism, employers and policy responses influenced the distribution of paid and unpaid work across society.
Scalmer analyses the limits of past victories and how rising demands for longer hours have complicated efforts to rebalance time.
The work situates contemporary proposals like four-day weeks within a longer history of struggles over work and care.
Sean Scalmer examines the political and social arguments used by workers to secure time for family, leisure and civic life, highlighting how these movements were shaped by gendered assumptions.
The book discusses how labour activism, employers and policy responses influenced the distribution of paid and unpaid work across society.
Scalmer analyses the limits of past victories and how rising demands for longer hours have complicated efforts to rebalance time.
The work situates contemporary proposals like four-day weeks within a longer history of struggles over work and care.
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Natasha Mitchell
Sean Scalmer
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