The clock is ticking on time poverty

We all have the same 24 hours as Beyonce, according to the tired old meme influencers trot out to motivate us to do more.  

It’s clearly a flawed premise. The daily billable hours put in by the chefs, stylists, designers and army of experts that make up team Beyonce no doubt run into the hundreds (if not thousands). For most of us, the harsh reality in our hyper-accelerated lives is that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. 

“We’re all expected to socialize, to have a rich and healthy personal life, to preserve democracy in societies and to maintain an active civic and cultural life, all alongside the many other personal activities that demand our time,” says Conxita Folguera, a senior lecturer at Esade. 

Writing in El Periodico, Folguera argues that to be able to achieve a healthy balance, we need to be able to work much less, not eke out the little time we have to do more. 

Health impact 

“Raising children takes time. Education takes time. Caring for the elderly takes time,” Folguera continues. “The teleworking experience formalized throughout the world by the Covid-19 pandemic has been a sociological experiment that has shown us the negative consequences of not having a work-life balance. Instead, it’s led to an intensification of the pace of work and increased stress levels.” 

Time is a political issue and can be conceptualized as a right of all citizens

According to the Barcelona-based organization Time Use Initiative (TUI), the impact is felt physically as well as mentally. 

“Social organization directly impacts health through disruption of circadian rhythms, which is linked to several health issues including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, overweight and mental dysfunctions,” the organization claims.

The right to time 

The individual right to time has been on the Spanish agenda for over a century. In 1919, Spain was the first country in the world to introduce an eight-hour working day. And now, it’s leading the way in pushing for the introduction of a comprehensive Time Use Act to address the inequalities in time distribution and establish a framework for obtaining a sustainable, healthy life balance. 

In a study produced for the Spanish government, the TUI examined the basis for a new law and the areas it should address. The report contains over 100 key recommendations the organization says will help ensure a more efficient and equal use of time.  

Women are disproportionately affected by time poverty

Esade professor of labor law Anna Ginés is a member of the TUI regional expert lab and a contributor to the report.   

“Time is a political issue and can be conceptualized as a right of all citizens,” she says. “Since Spain introduced the eight-hour day, society has been profoundly transformed. The topic of working hours in the day is once again a discomfort for many.” 

A finite frame

Ginés continues: “The right to time is currently unequally distributed and time poverty exists in various forms. Women are disproportionately affected by time poverty, have less time to themselves and are responsible for the majority of care-related activities.” 

There are four main uses of time structured within the finite 24-hour frame: work schedules, school and care, leisure and consumption, and rest. The work sphere has the greatest impact on the way the remaining three spheres are structured. The TUI argues that to ensure balance and harmony, this aspect should be governed by mechanisms to ensure a balance.  

“The organization of working time and the way it is distributed alongside the activities of daily life — including care, rest and leisure — are fundamental to the employment relationship and have important consequences for both workers and companies,” the TUI says. 

Environmental impact

As well as the individual benefits of introducing a time-use policy, there are multiple environmental advantages.  

“Designing policies that take into account natural and social uses of time to align our lives with the sunlight can positively affect sustainability and decrease our collective carbon footprint,” the TUI claims in its report.  

Time policies can help reduce our collective carbon footprint

“The design of the so-called 15-minute-cities, such as those promoted by Eurocities, C40, United Cities and Local Governments, and Metropolis, amongst others, all minimize our impact on the natural environment.” 

The study is currently being considered by the Spanish government, with no definitive timeline for any implementation. The European Commission has promised to safeguard the right to a work-life balance, but Conxita Folguera believes it’s time for further action. 

“Every time there’s a new case or a change, the promises and dreams resurface,” she says. “But the last two decades have focused more on the reconciliation of work and life than the reduction of working time. The time for debate is over, it has to be a realistic goal.” 

Until then, some people will continue to have a lot more hours in the day than others.