Work Smarter, Not Longer: Opting In to a Shorter Work Week
As my daughter approached twelve weeks old, the end of my maternity leave, I searched for part-time jobs that would provide a decent living. I knew I couldn’t leave her for the 45+ hours a week that I worked before she arrived, at a job that paid 60k a year with benefits.
For some reason, our society doesn’t value part-time workers at the same rate that it values full-time workers, even if we bring the same skills and enthusiasm.
With my fiancé and I sharing expenses, I calculated that I only really needed to make around 30k. As such, I set out to find a job with half the hours and half the pay, so our family could live happily ever after in blissful work-life balance.
But no such job existed. Not even close. In my Southern Oregon searches, part-time marketing jobs were offering around $15/hour with no benefits. I had been paid twice that amount with benefits as a full-time employee.
For some reason, our society doesn’t value part-time workers at the same rate that it values full-time workers, even if we bring the same skills and enthusiasm. Perhaps more enthusiasm considering we won’t be burnt out from 40 hours tethered to a desk.
