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.

[sammylady37]

i can't think of one interest that I had in my early twenties that I couldn't have done around full time work or that wouldn't have benefitted by my earning more money. My passion was travelling, more money I earned, more places I could go


And that’s your experience. Surely though, you can understand that other people have different life experiences, different lifestyles, different plans and different desires to you?

[RosesinGranGransgarden]

The people in the shop were mostly post university, working out what they wanted to do. I get that they didn't want to work in a shop forever but that was currently what they were doing for around two years after uni. It used to make me laugh how they said 'I'm a geology student' when they had graduated a year ago.

[Msgiggles30]

I'm 31 no children and I would love to drop a day to 4 days but I have a professional and highly demanding job so feel 4 days would be amazing but I live alone and have a mortage to pay!

[KitKatKit]

Because climbing the career ladder isn't for everyone? Because life is short and they would rather have less money and more time for themselves?

If they're paying their taxes and not causing harm to others, why is it anybody else's business?

[PregnantPorcupine]

I worked pt for a while in my 20s because I didn't like my job and wanted to do some volunteering on the side to broaden my experience. I wasn't particularly motivated by money.. still not (for better and worse).

[Parkandride]

So you have to work full time unless you've got a child? Why are you allowed to slack off if you've reproduced but not if you've got hobbies, caring responsibilities, health issues, a side hustle, other income sources, less interest in material things etc etc

I got my hours cut in my early twenties and was part time for a while, it was blissful. I now aim to retire early to peruse my non work passions, whether or not I have a child. Maybe they're doing the reverse and working less, but steadily, across their whole career

[romdowa]

Everyone is different 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ maybe they have personal circumstances that they dont feel the need to disclose to you or anyone else ? or they simply don't feel the need to work more than they need to.

[Blackbear19]

Could it be extra tax / reduced benefits / on overtime money that actually doesn't make it worthwhile?

I remember speaking to someone on benefits, she was young with kids but realised that she was 50p a week worse off working 10 hours than she was completely on benefits.

[Fatted]

It depends. It's not just as simple as work a bit more overtime to get more money. Working part time obviously means paying less tax etc and there is usually a point where you do not actually financially benefit to earn extra by the time you factor in the extra tax etc.

It was like this when I worked part time. I was bringing home £999 after tax. If I earned anything taking me over £1000, I then had to pay tax and it negated any benefit from the extra hours. I could have worked an extra day a week and been absolutely no better off financially for it.

I did have kids by the way. But I can understand why people don't want to work full time, especially if you don't need the money.

[PrincessConsuelaVaginaHammock]

When it's an active choice, they're doing it because they value the extra free time more than they value the things the money could buy them. For people in low paid work, dropping a day often makes less difference to the take home than you might assume if you've not done the calculations.

And frankly your idea that they should prioritise a nice car is deranged. It's one thing working for more security, but not seeing why people wouldn't value consumer goods? Odd.

[Pukkatea]

I'm 30 and childless and am in a role where I work 4 days a week. I'm plenty comfortable, have plenty of disposable income, travel whenever I want (made easier by not having to take annual leave for a long weekend away) have a year's salary worth of savings and every week I have a 3 day weekend. I have more time for hobbies, fitness, life admin and my life has never been better. Everyone makes their own choices - I look at my friends who have far more money than me by working double my weekly hours and think crack on, but that's certainly not the life I want.

[peachypetite]

Part time is surely the dream for most people. Much more to life than working.

[ColonelNobbyNobbs]

more a house, a car, holidays etc

I didn’t really care about these in my 20s. Well maybe the holidays but even then I didn’t really start going on regular holidays abroad until my 30s. Also so what if their friends are all working full time? People can do things alone

I worked part time in my late 20s after years of full time as I was doing a masters. However even once the masters had finished I continued working part time for another year or so - no time consuming hobbies or caring responsibilities, I just preferred not being at work to working!

[corythatwas]

I can't think of one interest that I had in my early twenties that I couldn't have done around full time work or that wouldn't have benefitted by my earning more money. My passion was travelling, more money I earned, more places I could go

I knew of several young people who write.

Some who are into filming.

Some who are quietly gaining qualifications for a different job.

I got my current (academic) job off the back of a book I wrote without being paid for it by the university.

Many people don't like to declare disabilities for fear of prejudice, particularly so with mental health issues.

As for "shouldn't they be saving for maternity leave and nice cars"- not everybody has your priorities. Nice cars (or indeed cars at all) is probably something we need to see less of if this planet is going to survive. Ditto with aeroplane-based holidays. And a few people opting not to have children might also not be a bad idea.

[IntermittentParps]

What a weird thing not to understand.

Some people would rather work less and have more time to do other things. Just because you can't think of one interest from your early twenties that couldn't fit around full time work doesn't meant someone else doesn't have those interests.

[ArriettyJones]

Some of it might be a positive phenomenon around more people with chronic illness, developmental conditions, hidden disabilities accessing the workplace. In past decades, those groups were probably trapped at home.

Then there are the subsidised dabblers a la Kate Middleton.

[FromMarch2020]

Some people live for work and some people work enough to live.

Some people love their jobs to the point of obsession and work ridiculous hours and their life aim seems to be to climb their particular career ladder... that's great if that is what they want.

Other people do enough to pay their bills and live for their social life/holidays etc etc - again great if that is what they want.

Some people want the outward appearance of wealth and have to work really hard to pay for the house/possessions and lifestyle they want to project.

Others might live a simple lifestyle that requires less money to maintain.

At the end of the day we all have different priorities in life - each to their own. If you are happy doing what you are doing then great - if not and you might secretly envy the part time no children brigade then look at working less either by having less/spending less or other ways...

[kikisparks]

I know someone in her 20s who works part time but she also has a business. But really, happiness is what matters, so if someone is happy flat sharing and working part time and not going on holidays or buying lots of things then fair play to them. There is more to life than work and money for many people.

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

And frankly your idea that they should prioritise a nice car is deranged. It's one thing working for more security, but not seeing why people wouldn't value consumer goods? Odd a 20yr old wanting nice consumer goods to you is deranged? Really?

[ColonelNobbyNobbs]

Cross posted with loads of people. I also did a 4 day week for a while in my 30s - it was fantastic would love to do so again.

[okiedokieme]

Perhaps that's all they could get work wise! I want full time but work pt can't find a full time job that pays as much as my pt one

[Shinebright72]

I don’t think many young people will be working part time unless they earn a fabulous wage though. I’ve not come across it that often tbh. Most people probably can’t afford to live off of a wage that’s just 30 hours a week even with no kids.

[eyesbiggerthanstomach]

I have a friend who does this. Even before kids she worked part time. She is a trust fund child. 2 mortgage free properties and rental income coming in. She only went to work to get out of the house. It was just pocket money. If she had a career it would be different but it's more of a minimum wage job rather than a career.

[IntermittentParps]

a 20yr old wanting nice consumer goods to you is deranged? Really? I don't think the pp said that. The point seemed to be that it is 'deranged' of the OP to think that everyone should prioritise consumer goods over free time.

[DanniArthur]

I dont get this either. I've worked 35 hours since I was 18 even after having DD (my role is flexible hours though) whereas I've a few colleagues who choose to work a few hours a week here and there. Recently one was offered a 20 hour contract and refused as she wants "a life outside of work" although she is 24 and still lives with her parents so I suppose theres no real need to work as there was for me.