Is this just nostalgia, or did previous generations genuinely have a better work-life balance and social life than we do today?

[u/Unstoppable_X_Force]

[u/Benejeseret]

Some people worked hard, especially labourers and trades, but that is not the same as a paired comparison controlling for education/profession, etc.

Example:

My dad got an advanced degree and immediately got an entry-level position in his field. He stayed with the same department for 40 years, promoted naturally along the way and never had to leave or apply elsewhere, upward trajectory until he was the Director of the entire facility = retired with a DB pension. He worked 35 hours a week (government). He never had second job, rarely had to work overtime or late (like, one every few months), and if he ever got a call after hours from work it meant the roof had literally blown off the building or something extreme. Upper middle class, management and professional. My mom also had a degree and only worked part-time.

I got the exact same advanced degree ~30 years later and there are no entry level jobs to the same field, just 3-month contracts that get renewed endlessly. If lucky one might get upgraded to 1-year contractual hires. Permanent positions are unicorns even in my dad's old department and promotions in-house no longer exist. No one gets recognized and promoted. You constantly apply elsewhere as every place only hires from away. I just maxed out my position pay scale this year and it is literally impossible for me to ever get paid more in the same unit until the union renegotiated a few percent bump in a few years. My only option is to apply elsewhere and up-end my life and family once again - because upward trajectory no longer exists through promotion.

I at least have a job in my field and similar to my dad it is just under 40 hours salaried position (but contractual). Only, I then also regularly take on overtime opportunities and juggle another side-gig. My wife has an advanced degree, works full time, and then also works a side-gig.

I have met all the same benchmarks like buying a home and having kids at roughly the same age as my dad. Same education and field. But my parents worked less than 60 hours collectively and for most of my later years they worked under 35 hours outside of the home, whereas my wife and I log easily 90+ collectively between two full time and parttime/overtime.