Work Ethic in the USA

A consequence of the industrialization of the USA over the previous century is the amazing increase in worker productivity.  With the aid of technology and management techniques, a worker can accomplish much that would be unthinkable a century ago.  As the standard of living improved for the general population, people no longer have to work long and hard hours just to make a living.  It is now perfectly practical and acceptable to get lesser pay for more leisure time.  Instead of working sixty hours a week in miserable and unsafe conditions as before, the modern worker is likely to work less than forty hours a week in comfortable and safe conditions, with holidays, vacation days, sick days, insurance and bonuses.

We will now refer to some survey data from the MARS research study.  This is a mail survey of 23,705 adults in the USA conducted during the first quarter of 2001.  In this survey, there was a statement: "When I am sick, I still drag myself to work."  We bear in mind that most jobs permit a number of 'sick' days to be taken each year.  Given a particular sickness condition, agreement with the statement may occur for very different reasons.  For one person, this may be due to a sense of personal responsibility, not wanting an unscheduled absence to burden co-workers or clients.  For another person, this may be due to the threat of negative consequences, such as losing income or being dismissed for absenteeism.  For a third person, this may be a matter of pride in having the self-discipline to overcome a minor adversity.  For a fourth person, this may be a blind adherence to a Weberian Protestant ethic in which people devoted their entire lives to the endless accumulation of wealth without ever stopping to consume that wealth.  In any case, this statement reflects the degree of importance that the respondents attach to their work.

Within the MARS study, among those who are employed on a full-time basis (that is, working 30 hours per week or more), 50% of them agreed with the statement "When I am sick, I still drag myself to work."  The next table shows the breakdown by demographic groups:

Demographic Variables/Classes % Agreed with "When I am sick, I still drag myself to work"
Gender
     Male
     Female
47%
54%
Age
     18-24
     25-34
     35-49
     50-54
     55-64
     65+
54%
48%
51%
49%
50%
48%
Race
     White
     American Indian/Alaska Native
     Black, African American or Negro
     Asian and Pacific Islander
51%
52%
47%
35%
Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin 50%
Marital Status
     Single/never married
     Married
     Separated
     Divorced
     Widowed
48%
50%
49%
56%
66%
Occupation
     Executive managerial
     Professional specialty
     Technical support
     Sales
     Administrative support
     Service occupations
     Farming, forestry and fishing
     Precision, production and craft
     Machine operators
     Transportation and materials moving
     Handlers, helpers and laborers
48%
41%
56%
47%
49%
58%
52%
48%
66%
54%
54%
Company Size
     Less than 10
     10 to 24
     25 to 49
     50 to 99
     100 to 999
     1000 to 9999
     10000+
53%
53%
48%
48%
48%
47%
53%
Education (highest level completed)
     Less than high school
     High school graduate
     Some college
     College graduate
     Postgraduate study or degree
60%
53%
52%
46%
39%
Household Income
     Less than US$20,000
     US$20,000 to $49,999
     US$50,000 to $74,999
     US$75,000 to $149,999
     US$150,000 or more
61%
52%
51%
46%
41%
Personal Income
     Less than $20,000
     US$20,000 to $39,999
     US$40,000 to $59,999
     US$60,000 or more
59%
51%
47%
43%

This table shows a number of different correlations, some of which are no doubt related to each other.  The most striking aspect is that it is the affluent and the best educated who are most likely to stay home when they become sick.  People who are in more precarious financial situations (e.g. low income, low education, divorced/widowed, new in the labor force) are less likely to call in sick., and so too are people in essential positions (such as skilled machine operators or those in micro-enterprises).

The assumption that labor is performed solely for the purpose of its exchange value is a peculiarly capitalist concept.  There is no intrinsic reason that work should be thought of only as either slavery or drudgery.  There are some among us who have found that their work serves a higher, nobler and more satisfying purpose beyond the blind accumulation of wealth.  There are others among us who celebrate the jouissance of the creativity and delight of work every day.

(posted by Roland Soong, 8/28/2001)

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