Why a medieval peasant got more vacation time than you

The article argues that the medieval peasant often had far more leisure time than the modern American worker. It says holidays, Sundays, seasonal pauses, and time off for events meant long stretches without labor, while the U.S. offers little paid vacation and many people still work or check email during time off.

Reading notes

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• Medieval peasants could have eight weeks to half the year off, with Sundays, church holidays, and breaks after planting and harvest.
• Juliet Shor’s research is used to show that in some periods peasants may have worked no more than 150 days a year.
• The modern American worker gets an average of eight vacation days after a year on the job.
• Keynes expected advanced societies to have more leisure by 2030, but the article says that has not happened.
• The 19th-century 40-hour workweek is presented as an exception, while earlier periods are described as less work-heavy.
• The U.S. is described as the only advanced country with no national vacation policy.
• Job insecurity, weak unions, and at-will employment are said to limit workers’ ability to demand more time off.
• Since the 1980s, the article says secure long-term employment has declined and vacation benefits have weakened.
• Overworking is linked to lower productivity, while vacations are linked to renewed energy and focus.
• The article says austerity politics threaten time off and social protections, but shorter vacations do not appear to improve economic performance.
• It says vanishing vacations harm family life, friendships, and health, including depression and higher risk of death.
• Robert Reich is mentioned as supporting mandatory extended vacation, and a paid vacation bill by Alan Grayson is noted as having gone nowhere.
• Congress is described as having vacation time comparable to that of a medieval peasant.