American living standards improved considerably between 1900 and
2000. While most observers focus on gains in per-capita income as a
measure of economic well-being, economists have used other measures
of well-being: height, weight, and longevity. The increased amount
of leisure time per week and across people's lifetimes, however,
has been an unsung aspect of the improved standard of living in
America. In Century of the Leisured Masses, David George Surdam
explores the growing presence of leisure activities in Americans'
lives and how this development came out throughout the twentieth
century. Most Americans have gone from working fifty-five or more
hours per week to working fewer than forty, although many Americans
at the top rungs of the economic ladder continue to work long
hours. Not only do more Americans have more time to devote to other
activities, they are able to enjoy higher-quality leisure. New
forms of leisure have given Americans more choices, better quality,
and greater convenience. For instance, in addition to producing
music themselves, they can now listen to the most talented
musicians when and where they want. Television began as black and
white on small screens; within fifty years, Americans had a cast of
dozens of channels to choose from. They could also purchase
favorite shows and movies to watch at their convenience. Even
Americans with low incomes enjoyed television and other new forms
of leisure. This growth of leisure resulted from a combination of
growing productivity, better health, and technology. American
workers became more productive and chose to spend their improved
productivity and higher wages by consuming more, taking more time
off, and enjoying better working conditions. By century's end,
relatively few Americans were engaged in arduous, dangerous, and
stultifying occupations. The reign of tyranny on the shop floor, in
retail shops, and in offices was mitigated; many Americans could
even enjoy leisure activities during work hours. Failure to
consider the gains in leisure time and leisure consumption
understates the gains in American living standards. With Century of
the Leisured Masses, Surdam has comprehensively documented and
examined the developments in this important marker of well-being
throughout the past century.
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