21. Modern Americans Actually Work More Hours Than Medieval Peasants
Medieval peasants took so many breaks, that a Bishop of Durham, complained that: “The labouring man will take his rest long in the morning; a good piece of the day is spent afore he come at his work; then he must have his breakfast, though he have not earned it at his accustomed hour, or else there is grudging and murmuring; when the clock smiteth, he will cast down his burden in the midway, and whatsoever he is in hand with, he will leave it as it is, though many times it is marred afore he come again; he may not lose his meat, what danger soever the work is in. At noon he must have his sleeping time, then his bever in the afternoon, which spendeth a great part of the day; and when his hour cometh at night, at the first stroke of the clock he casteth down his tools, leaveth his work, in what need or case soever the work standeth.”
The modern perception that medieval peasants were overworked is inaccurate insofar as the amount of time spent on work goes. Between slack time and holidays, a medieval peasant might work only 150 days in a good harvest year. By contrast, many American workers are lucky to get eight vacation days in a year, as the US “continues to be the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers paid vacations“. We might work more hours than medieval peasants, but if it’s any consolation, at least we don’t have it as bad as nineteenth century American workers. Those unfortunates averaged 3650 work hours annually. That is more than double the 2021 American worker’s average of 1757 hours a year.