The Family and Free Time - Is Our Work Week Getting Longer?, How Much Leisure Time Do We Get?, Where Are We Happiest?

This chapter serves as an introduction to the second half of this book: leisure in America.

The opening panels in this section will address fundamental questions: how long are we at work and how often do we relax? The common belief is that we are working longer hours. Is this true? Another belief is that we have less free time to enjoy. Recent data suggest that time for recreation has been consistent over recent decades.

Other panels will look at leisure hours through the lens of family life. Quite simply, do we have enough time to get things done? Can we hold a job and a run a home? Are we on our way to being overstressed? We'll look at the dollars we spend on entertainment and recreation. As more of our free time is spent at home, some questions must be posed: do we socialize enough? How do we meet new people?

Again, this chapter is an introduction. The rest of this book will look at aspects of leisure more closely: the arts, vacations, sports, and volunteering.