To ask WHY you work

I work because I love what I do, and the job I do enables me to make a real difference/impact on the emotional well-being of new mothers.

I like feeling that I have a purpose, that I do something meaningful and that I can make other people’s lives easier/happier.

I gave this question some serious thought!

I think primarily money and to be able to do the things I want to do outside work like see my favourite DJs and go travelling. But a close secondary reason is being part of something - I like being in a well-respected profession and being around hard-working, fiercely intelligent and driven people (bouts of crippling imposter syndrome aside). My job can be horrendously stressful at times and it’s the latter that keeps me from walking out, more than the money, I think.

Well mainly for the money because I like to have a house and food! And tied to the area I live in due to kids at school and living near their dad.

But it also does give me a purpose as a pp said. I do find my work fulfilling in that sense.

I worked part time when mine were little - for a while (I have four close in age) very, very part time. It is challenging to juggle especially if you accidentally slip into carrying the full mental load and 95% of the housework and childcare during maternity leave and any phase of working very part time - shifting back to properly sharing the load with your partner if you have one is harder than doing 50/50 from day 1 obviously. I breastfed so did all night waking and felt guilty about being home so did everything, and it needed a big conscious effort to get the balance back when I tried to get back to more hours and then full time.

In addition to sense of purpose outside motherhood there's also independence to consider. If you became independently wealthy it wouldn't be the issue, but the unspoken dynamic in a relationship can unintentionally shift if the family income is all or almost all earned by one partner. Not earning your own income just has an undercurrent of vulnerability to it if you're not careful, plus of course the fact that the dependency can be forever because stopping work or cutting hours massively for a decade or longer will decimate your future pension entitlement (state and employment pensions will both be way less, as well as salary when ypu do return- if you do - being way less than it would have been).

I would struggle as I suffer with agoraphobia on and off for years and I only have certain places I can go and work is one of them as I feel safe there but for the majority of people absolutely

This is so obtuse!

Of course (almost) everyone can think of ways to fill their days without working. Boasting about being able to do this somehow immediately brings to mind Jane Austen characters (Mrs Elton?) who claim to have lots of "resources", by which they mean they play the piano, visit the deserving poor and take the air in the garden.

Unless they are the 0.001% who have huge individual wealth and can set up and run a foundation doing something worthwhile, most people "potter" and stretch out thectasks they used to do at weekends and in the evening in retirement, and yes, many do some worthwhile volunteering, but it's usually things they already did whilst working which they just carry on with, without ultimately doing much more than they did before. The few who do throw themselves full time into unpaid/ volunteer work treat it like work - you can't just let people down, so they're essentially still working, just unpaid.

For me, a huge part of the reason I am on my current career path is because my DS is older and needs me a lot less. I know that over the next few years, on a day to day basis, that lessening of need will decrease. And in 6-10 years, he'll likely have moved out. So I need to pursue something to help me as I move onto the phase of reduced mothering.

Most of the women that I meet professionally are in the same boat, many a decade or so on from me, where their children have moved out/away. Their work is basically a substitute for the purpose gained from raising children.

Money. If I won the lottery I would quit immediately and never do paid work again.

Ultimately for money, partly for purpose (the w*nker of a director who heads up
our function notwithstanding) and stimulation. If I won the lottery I’d still do something, not work per se but I’d need to be occupied somehow. I would however resign via Teams message, immediately go offline, delete my personal number from my details in the system and refuse to work my notice if I did win the lottery though.

Food, shelter, being a part of a community, opportunities to learn, support my DC ambitions.
My inlaws retired at 50 and have sat at home watching tv and walking the dogs for last 25 years. They didn't have physical jobs so its not like they were worn out. Their contentment with such a small life bewilders me.

For the money.

I couldn't give a shit about getting a sense of purpose or achievement or any of that from work. I don't hate my job but I can get all of that doing things I want to do, and not because I have to.

I enjoy my work (specialist nurse), it gives me purpose, I like my team and I feel valued.

I have enough money to keep a roof over my head and do the things I want to to do 🤷‍♀️

When I was employed I did it purely for the money. Now I am self employed I do it for a sense of fulfilment and structure to my day. And the money still comes in handy.

Oh I have heaps of things outside work that also give me fulfillment, and enjoyment. It isn't that. I could fill my days quite happily without working.

But I genuinely love my job and I know that I am very skilled at it and therefore can make a real difference by doing it. And that feels like a real privilege.

Moral purpose. I know that sounds wanky, but there you go.
I mean also money, of course. I'm lucky indeed to combine the two.

Because it's impossible to not work.

In this order
money
interest
being in my team
learning
excitement (it can be quite high adrenaline at times)
pension

if I had loads of money I’d still work, but probably two or three days rather than four.

For money (duh)

To feel like I am doing something useful
with my time and that my life has some purpose.

Only for money as I have children to support. I’d much rather be spending time at home on my hobbies and if I could guarantee making money from these I would do them instead of my job. I’m a creative person who likes to potter and home make.

Can’t wait for retirement! Just annoying the age keeps rising.

Money when it comes to the work I do as an employee.

However I also work freelance and I enjoy that very much.

I hate office politics and all the managerial nonsense that comes with working in most UK office environments and much prefer being a freelancer with more freedom and the ability to walk away easily if I am not enjoying a contract/project.

Money. I like my job but I’d rather choose what to do with my day. I mainly wfh around school hours and it’s quite lonely and boring.
I’d be a lot fitter for sure as I’d actually be able to have the time to go to the gym.

Worked since 15 until 2 years ago.
i packed up work 2 years ago in a combination of my own chronic illness and a SEND child with SEMH needs.

i only ever worked for the money. my last job was killing me both physically and mentally.

and honestly id be quite happy if i never worked again.

I started off nursing in the NHS it didn’t pay enough and wasn’t interesting enough.

I career swapped and earned a lot more with better hours, met a lot of interesting people and got to drink free wine.

To have a few fish to feed the family

We could afford for me not to work, but my mental health would be destroyed and our future pensions would be smaller. So, whether or not I actually want to work, it is better all round for me to work. I do like my work, but I have Long Covid. I am permanently tired. All my efforts go into working. My life has shrunk. I would like to reduce my hours so that I can have the energy to do more than just work.