To ask why young people without children work part time?

[RosesinGranGransgarden]

Going to get flamed for this but here goes!

In every single job I've been in I've worked with people younger than me who work part time hours. I can't quite get my head around it.
In my previous job I was a retail manager. Most of the staff were young, 20-30, none had kids apart from me and one other lady. We used to have a sheet of overtime shifts up and I used to have to beg staff to work it. These are young people, not studying, none with disabilities that they disclosed to me, most were renting/ house sharing. I never understood why they didn't want to work more hours, get more money for house deposits, travelling etc.
Another job I was an admin assistant and two or three of the other admin were young women, married with no children, who worked three or four days a week. Why?! Even if their husbands earned enough to support them, shouldn't they have worked to save for maternity leave, holidays, nice car etc.
I know money doesn't motivate a lot of people but as a young, childfree person, I would have never thought to apply for a part time job, unless I could be assured there was overtime. If not for financial reasons then just out of boredom, as all my friends would have been working full time.
Currently I work 32 hours due to no afterschool club, my colleague works the same hours. She said to me yesterday she wants to drop a day as she's exhausted. She's 28?! We work in an office together. She moans about not being a homeowner, why not work more hours?
Sorry rant over.

I work part time. Earn plenty to let me travel and do as i please. You sound jealous and bitter about your life choices. Not my problem that i earn enough to work part time.

Maybe you need to open your mind to other peoples circumstances differing to your own.

I used to use my own experience to teach them how to not waste their lives working in a shop and go look at graduate schemes (they never listened.)

My colleague is actively trying to reduce her hours.

I don't blame her. You sound quite exhausting OP.

My sister is in her 20s and child free, she works Part time because she has horses and to work them at the level she does takes a lot of time and dedication. She lives at home she has minimal outgoings outside of the horses, she breaks horses for extra income if necessary. She’s happy so good for her I say.

I suppose I used to be this person you describe. Before I had my children I worked in a job that was very demanding (mental health secure unit) and long hours. It was a good job really and I couldn't afford to not work there, but it really took its toll on me, I was struggling with the intensity of it and the long hours and consecutive days, I spoke to my manager and she suggested going to part time hours, which was only one day a week less but made a huge difference to me, enabled me to do my job better and look after my own mental health.

This thread is really refreshing that other people think like this - sometimes I thought it was just me! So many people here go on about "working hard in your 20s" like it's some sort of badge of honour to work 70 hours a week, become a senior manager, and buy a massive house that you never see the inside of. Why would I want to spend those years as an exhausted corporate slave? I grew up with super-ambitious parents with busy jobs and a big house, and absolutely nothing about their lifestyle appeals to me. Nothing. Their job is loads of work, their house is loads of work, their lifestyle is just work and complaining about how tired they are.

I went part time once before DS. I spent a year working 3 days a week and I absolutely loved it. I certainly wasn't bored but I was married in so we didn't rely just on my salary. Then I was offered a promotion but full time only. It coincided with my there DH stopping work and retraining so I accepted. I still remember that year very fondly though. Part time working once you have children ( which I also did) is very very different. I know which one I preferred

I work part time because I don't enjoy working and full time hours exhausted me, house is inherited so no rent/mortgage, dh enjoys his job so works f/t we do have dc but before them I could only ever work p/t.
I'm an introvert and being around people for a full day drains me.
I'd much rather have time to recharge than some extra money.

Cos work is boringly ?

I think there are lots of good reasons to work PT but I do know a couple of people who are perfectly able to work more hours (as in, they only work a couple of days a week!) but don't and then get annoyed when they don't have much money. I think that attitude is ridiculous- one is my sibling who constantly makes snide comments about DH and I "having money" - yeah, because we both work FT when he's having long lie-ins and hanging out with his mates! You can't have it all ways. And DH and I aren't rich by any stretch of the imagination!

I suspect it'll be different reasons for each person.

I used to live/work in the US, and my colleagues (of many ages) often pined over wanting to go part-time. The reason most didn't wasn't the reduced income, but that dropping below a certain number of hours would cause them to lose insurance and benefits, including health care. The actual part-timers usually had access to benefits through a spouse/partner with a steady full-time job - less likely to be an option in one's early/mid-20s. If benefits hadn't been tied to their day jobs, I'm betting a lot would have actually gone for it (and talked about it a lot less).

Anyway - leaving aside those with health issues/care responsibilities/a trust fund -- reasons for wanting more "free" time and being willing to trade off with less money were various. Many were trying to launch small businesses or working freelance or volunteering in the field they wanted to enter. Some were writing books or trying to break through as actors, artists, etc. One kept running for local political offices (and losing). There was a golf fiend, several surfers (ideal to work afternoons only), a few serious activists, and countless very busy bloggers. We even had one guy who quit at the end of May every year to go backpacking, and got rehired each September, for several years - apparently his housemates got a short-term renter to take his room every summer.

Also, the moaning about not having enough money happens all the time, regardless of people's personal financial situation - it's perfectly possible to (1) decide that working part-time or a lower-paying job is the best option for you right now, all things considered AND (2) wish you had more money in general or to spend on a specific thing.

OH's son and his girlfriend both work two days a week and are 20. The rest of the time he spends on his console. Currently they share a two bed flat with his OH's daughter her boyfriend and two children so can afford to do so. Sister is pushing for them to move into separate properties but they can't afford to so staying put. They live a simple life I guess so don't need the money (although realistically they do need it to rent their own place, his sister is having to sleep with 4 of them in one room!).

I do understand where you are coming from OP, I have and had so much ambition to do well, it's difficult to understand their way of doing things. But it's up to them I guess, we are all different!

They may have another part-time job in a field that they really enjoy and care about and take on the extra hours at your office to allow them to continue to pursue that. Many jobs in the creative and media sectors, for example, are not full-time and talented people who want to do them yet don't have loads of money already need the extra income.

You sound quite judgemental to be honest. There’s more to life than work, the pandemic has shown us that life is short and precious, personally I’m going to be looking into cutting my hours now. Unpleasant phrase, but we’re a long time dead.

I worked 7 days a week in my 20s because my main ft job was a yts scheme that paid hardly anything and retail work at w/e was "proper wages" to top it up. I wanted to move out of my parents house but it certainly wasnt enough for a deposit on a house or a nice car.
If I'd got the same money for less days I def wouldnt have worked all week.

Also, not everybody wants to work in retail or similar for the rest of their lives. Young people in their twenties with no children could be working on setting up their own business, studying, anything to better themselves really, instead of being stuck working under countless people until retirement. Especially women, who tend to have a lot more difficulty gaining promotion in those types of jobs. I am one of them - I chose to work part time in my twenties after graduating so I could work on my portfolio and get a job as a graphic designer. I had previously tried to get promoted, and I was, but not officially, so I had no pay rise, just extra responsibilities. It was not the biggest morale boost. I didn't tell my superiors in my retail job that it was my plan to find a different career, as it was none of their business. I came in, did my shifts, and left - then worked at home and did end up getting into my dream career.

It's good that you enjoy the work you do and are comfortable doing it, but not every young person wants to stay in that kind of hamster wheel for eternity.

Also you were a retail manager...they’re the worst for thinking no one has a right to a life outside work

I’m 30 and have worked part time for 8 years. No kids. I’m married and my husband also works part time. I hate working, it makes me miserable. Why would I want to spend more of my life doing something I hate than the things I actually enjoy? And no, I’m not on any benefits. The way society is set up doesn’t suit me at all.

A lot of jobs in retail are part time anyway - you get taken on with minimal part-time hours but in reality work full time, extra hours filling in and during busy times.

It saves having a shop full of staff during quiet periods but the staff do not enjoy full time benefits and income.

Further to my previous post I worked part time in an office and still managed to buy a house...

In addition to the reasons in my other post I had worked in the same job full time and requested to go part time when the opportunity came up. I didn’t have enough work for my liking and I managed to do the same amount of work in my reduced hours, so it wasn’t that I was lazy.

Don’t know, worked full time since graduation from Uni at 21 to when I had my first DC. Work part time now but imagine I will go back to full time relatively soon (DC2 early primary at the mo)

I have worked both full time and part time in a demanding job (that I actually generally enjoy)

I recently have been working part tome because I earn a shit load of money and like to do nice things and quite like having and extra day a week to do it. I travel, I nap, I see my friends, I have hobbies (as mumsnet would approve of)

I am unsure what the hell that has to do with anyone apart from the person who wants to work more hours and is very grateful for my extra time. I am much more productive while at work because I am happy and don’t want to kill all my colleagues.

It is a weird state of affairs to aspire to work full time for the sake of it. In fact it would be great if wages were enough that no one had to work full time and people had more chance to enjoy life

I don't have children and have just applied for a part time job after working full time for 35 years.
I pray that I get it.

Part time is not just for parents, thank god.

Isn't it the dream to not have to work full time?!

If I was young and childless and earning all I needed to on a part time salary I would absolutely work part time and enjoy my time off from work!

Because we're all on this earth for a finite amount of time and some people value free time over work? If they can afford to do that and it's not affecting you in any way why would you care? Can you not understand that for a lot of people work is something we do because we need to earn money not because we love it? I'd rather have a day free to pursue hobbies etc than an extra few quid at the end of the month for sure.

Work to life balance.
I found working over a certain amount of hours a week made me feel drained and deflated.
Both my parents had always reminded me you only get one chance at this life and to live it as best you can.
I was saving through my teenage times and had money for a deposit for my property in my late 20s.
I then only worked enough hours to pay a third on bills/mortgage, a 3rd on savings and a 3rd on holidays/day to day life/spending time with family.
Looking at all the hours people pull and find that once they leave they never see those people again but put in so many stressful hours makes me quite sad. Older colleagues dying before retirement also reminded me that my parents were right.
I have more memories and experiences than I do money and that's okay with me.