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.

[melj1213]

Honestly, why does it matter to you so much that other people's jobs dont revolve around their job?

I usually work part time due to shared custody of DD. During covid DD has stayed with her dad full time (he was WFH and I was working in retail so it seemed sensible for her to stay with him than me have to send her to school etc) and so I have been doing extra shifts. I obviously have to do my contracted days/hours but other than that I can pick and choose what overtime I do.

Some weeks I have done my 25hrs and no overtime bc i am overwhelmed/have other things that require my free time and other weeks I have done 50 hours because they desperately needed help and I had nothing else to do. But the key for me is having the option - if I was contracted for 40hrs a week then I have to do those hours, but having a 25hr contract I can choose to do overtime when it suits me but not be committed to those hours when it doesn't.

[riceuten]

I kind of assumed this might be a mum who was frustrated that those awful barren types had snaffled all the part time jobs that rightfully belonged to the fertile.

There are a million and one reasons why people don't work full time

• because they don't want to
  
• because that's all that's available
  
• because they have care (non-child) responsibilities
  
• because that's the nature of the work they do
  
• because they're studying
  
• because they have a long term limiting illness that precludes full time work
  
• because they like to wind working parents up
  
  OK, I might have lied about the last one.

[eatsleepread]

I'm with you, OP. It's odd. Why wouldn't they need the money or career progression?!

[lightsout]

I worked 3 part time jobs at one point straight after uni and remember showing up to one really exhausted because of late shift on another job and one of my colleagues mocking me for being tired when I “only work 4 hours a day”.
You don’t know what things people are doing outside of this one job they’re doing with you.

[gumball37]

I didn't read your whole post. But here's my 2 cents.

Life is fucking short. Money isn't everything. Some people would rather prioritize living than surviving. 🤷

[mrbob]

I love the assumptions that if you work part time you might be lazy (nope, when I was at school I worked 20+ hours a week as well as doing 5 a levels and until recently worked full time throughout many periods of studying) or poor (nope I earn the equivalent of £150k for a 32 hour week) I like travelling and I have plenty of hobbies. I don’t buy handbags or fancy shoes or go for expensive dinners
There is a LOT more to life than work

[luluw41]

I’m 53. Up until having children I always worked full time. I always presumed that childless, younger people worked part time because they couldn’t get full time hours. Back in the day it was just expected I guess. I’ve no idea how people afford it tbh. 🤷‍♀️

[OccasionalNachos]

A generational thing. FIL was horrified when DP dropped to a 4 day week at the age of about 30-32, despite the fact that he spends the extra day on a side hustle that, after a couple of years, brings in as much money weekly as the 4-day job. Even if it wasn’t as good an earner, he’d still be part time in the first job for MH and work/life balance reasons.

I went down to 4 days a week a few years ago to study, and kept the day off once I’d finished as my earnings were basically the same, it worked out really well that way. I’m full time now in a different job that pays more and it’s not something I’d choose to do at this time, but financially if it benefited me then I’d work as few hours as possible. I don’t understand why anyone would work ‘all the hours god sends’ to buy consumer crap like flash cars only to burn out before middle age, you’re a long time dead. But that’s my feelings and I don’t care what other people choose to do if it has no bearing on me or my life!

[13loki]

Before I had children I went part time (20 hours per week) because I got a promotion that was only available part time but once travelling costs were deducted I earned practically the same as working full-time in the lower grade job. I got increased job satisfaction, no real loss of income and more time for me.

[kelcys2175]

I'm with you OP, worked 2 jobs most of my younger life. This allowed me to save to buy a flat (on my own). It also gave me spare money to go out with friends. I personally see it as being lazy

[BikeRunSki]

One of my colleagues is a very serious runner, and works part time in order to train.

[Runnerduck34]

Does seem odd to choose to work part time when you are young with no kids or not combining work with studying. Ime the only reason young people work part-time ( other than study/ caring commitments) is because they can't find a full time job. My dsis works in retail and her employer decided to reduce her full time hours and only offer part time contracts. I think some sectors retail/ leisure/ restaurants etc rarely offer full time posts of 37 hours a week and these sectors employ a lot of young people.
Other than that the only people I know who choose to work part-time are raising DCor looking after elderly parents or are nearing retirement

[HUCKMUCK]

My DD is 22 and works 3 days a week in an admin job. Her degree is a creative one and she spends her days off writing and creating so that she has more of a portfolio. The industry she wants to work in is pretty much shut down at the moment but even when it opens up, she will continue to work PT until an opening comes up.

She earns enough to live in a flat share, pay her bills, eat and still have some money left over for leisure and shopping. She lives quite frugally and is environmentally conscious so a lot of her clothes are second hand. She is very happy with her lifestyle for now. She is not hung up on earning a lot of money, never has been. As long as she is earning enough to live off of, why would she go through the drudge of a full time job that she doesn't really want to do?

She worked all through Uni and has never needed our financial support (we couldn't afford to support her anyway). She is a hard worker and commits 100% to whatever she is doing. She doesn't think she will be having children so maybe this has an influence on how she lives now. I would hate to think she felt she had to slog away at an unfulfilling job for the next 50 years just because she doesn't want children. Lots of her friends also work part time. The ones who work full time tend to be saving up to travel or are already working in the jobs they wanted/planned for.

[Saracen]

On the flip side, I have never understood why people who earn plenty of money and have negotiating power with their employers (or are self-employed) choose to continue working full-time. If they absolutely love their job then I can see it, of course.

I am thinking of stressed executives on six-figure salaries. But the same could apply to somebody on a more modest salary who doesn't NEED a full wage to survive.

So long as I can pay my bills, I would rather have time than money.

Taking your argument to an extreme, OP, why are YOU not working overtime or moonlighting as many hours as possible? Some people do that. All of the reasons why you aren't doing that could be the reasons why your coworkers prefer part-time. Their bar for "maximum number of hours I can comfortably work" is just different from yours.

[PrincessConsuelaVaginaHammock]

@kelcys2175

I'm with you OP, worked 2 jobs most of my younger life. This allowed me to save to buy a flat (on my own). It also gave me spare money to go out with friends. I personally see it as being lazy

You have zero idea what they're doing in the time OP resents them not working, so this is absurd. They might be doing something much more onerous than retail or admin work on those days.

[Susan1961]

I don't think people want the commitment anymore, if they can manage financially not working full time. I've managed working part-time for six years, am 58, times have changed.

[Nousernamehistory]

@kelcys2175

Well I work part time (across 3 jobs but still less that 30 hrs a week). I bought a 2 bed terraced house with a front and back garden in January, completely by myself with no help from my mum (l/c with my dad who doesn't live in the country - no help from him either). Must be something you're doing wrong if someone as lazy as me can manage all that while you presumably ran yourself into the ground for a flat

[Ferret27]

I’m with you OP .. the simple truth is these kids are subsidised more often than not by parents who just aren’t helping them learn that you need to earn your own way in life .. I have nephews like this and friends and work colleagues who say they know too many children who are like this .. and see parents struggling as they won’t say no to constant cash handouts ... I worked every shift I could while studying and every holiday ... occasional help from family is fine and as I got older I was able to help my family in return .... I worry for a lot of young people as they struggle and give up on things too quickly ... but I do know some shining stars too

[IntermittentParps]

I mean, a whole day off for reading or going to the gym? That's a massively luxury that most people in their fifties don't have.
So what? Why do you resent this so much?
I think we might all be happier and healthier if we ALL had a bit more time off without the usual accompanying financial worries.

[IntermittentParps]

Sorry, bold fail

[Washyourhands48]

I’m childfree so I am perfectly aware that life does not revolve around kids.

I’m the same OP, the number of people I know in their twenties, still at home existing on 10 hour a week retail contracts is ? When I was in my twenties I was working full time 9-5 and did about 16 hours of bar work on top.

[PrincessConsuelaVaginaHammock]

@Washyourhands48

I’m childfree so I am perfectly aware that life does not revolve around kids.

I’m the same OP, the number of people I know in their twenties, still at home existing on 10 hour a week retail contracts is ? When I was in my twenties I was working full time 9-5 and did about 16 hours of bar work on top.

That sounds unpleasant.

[BeijingBikini]

Some people earn good salaries in their 20s and can afford the lifestyle they want AND to save for a house, without needing to work themselves into the ground. Minimum wage isn't the only wage out there.

[Localocal]

I think your situation is unusual - most childless young adults want to work full time. But I also think the price of property rental is part of it. You can't afford to live alone in the London area on a retail wage. So most of these young people probably live with their families. If they aren't paying rent then a part time wage is probably enough to meet their day to day needs.

[Lonelykettleshed]

Apologies, haven't read the full thread. I moved to part time in my late 30s despite being child free. I had elderly parents who needed help and trying to help them, work 50+ hours a week, spend 2-3 hours a day commuting and maintain my own life was too much. A few years on, my DM has passed away and my DF doesn't need as much help. I'm still part time though - I can afford it and enjoy having the extra time to live my life.