How doyou describe yourself to someone new? What's the first thing you tell them? You probably start with your name, but it's safe to assume your job title or employer is going to come soon after, especially if you're under the age 40.
As young people move away from religion, many are now deriving their sense of community, meaning, and self-identity from their work. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 83% of Americans over the age of 40 have some sort religious affiliation, and 57% say religion is very importatnt to their lives. At the same time, only 66% of those under the age of 40 are affiliated with a religious institution, and only 51% say religion is very important to their lives. According to Jobvite's annual Job Seeker Nation survey, 42% of American works define themselves by the jobs they perform and the companies they work for, and that number rises to 45% among those under the age of 40. Furthermore, of the 42% who say that they define themselves through their work, 65% say it's "very important" to who they are as people.
"We have spiritual lives, we have physical lives, we like to have intellectual stimuli in our lives, we have our communities and our families and friends; humans are complex, and to have a really healthy balance, it requires all of those components," says Rachel Bitte, Jobvite's chief people officer. "Expecting all of that to come from your work could be an unrealistic expectation."
For the vast majority of human history, work was generally considered a burden and a means to an end, while leisure was considered not only the reward of work, but the basis of culture and society. As a result, many peredicted that individuaal wealth would lead to more leisure time, while societal wealth would decrease the length of the workday, eventually eliminating it entirely.
Instead, the exact opposite happened. In 1980, the highest earners worked the fewest hours, but by 2005, the richest 10% of married men worked the most hours on average, according to research compiled by Atlantic staff writter Derek Thompson for a recent article, "Workism Is Making Americans Miserable."
Thompson adds that this concept of pursuing through work can be beneficial to many-and he includes himeself among them-but a majority aren't able to pursue meaningful work, and the expectations placed on work are often unrealistic.
"We expect to realize our full humanity in work, within the job, rather than other parts of life. That is new." says Benjimin Hunnicutt, professor leisure studies at the University of low and author of Free Time: The Forgotten American Dream.
Hummicutt adds that the fear of automation replacing human labor would have been unimaginable to philosophers and thinkers who questioned the meaning of work throughout history. "Before, the promise of technology was labor-saving devices," he says. "Now it frighten us. We can't imagine an alternative to work." He says that many of history's thinkers eagerly looked forward to future where machines did our for us, freeing us up to focus on the more important things.
Some might consider a society built around work to have advantages over a society that considers work a burden, and that the former would be more inclusive and open than one based on religion. Thompson says that given the choice between "workism" and the religious societies of old, he would choose "workism every day of the week, and twice on Sundays," but adds that it shouldn't necessarily be one or the other.
Hunnicutt, however, fears that a society based around work is inherently flawed and bound to fail, as it prioritize short-term individual gains over long-term, shared prosperity. "Work by definition, in the marketplace- which is a place of competition- is hard as a place it seems to me for cooperation, for generosity and giving, for realizing our full humanity," he says. "By definition, even the best of our jobs are about competition, of outdoing the people around us."
A society that praises work, according to Hunnicut, is cold in its regard for both the natural world and for others. "i'm not a psychologist, but i do think that self-centeredness that is at the heart of work-being a self-made man or woman-is alienating," says Hunnicutt. "It separates us from nature, from other people, from beauty, from God; we become profoundly alone."
Many believe social media to be a significant cause of alienation and stress among young people. "Social comparison isn't just about the neighbor next door anymore; it's about thousands of your classmates and what they're doing with their lives post-graduation," says Bitte. "I think that people have found that social media can not only be a way of bragging about your job, but can become an extension of your job," adds Thompson.
Hunnicutt, however, sees a silver lining. While comparing yourself to your peers once promoted the pursuit of material wealth, social media has made real-life experiences the primary status symbol for your younger generations. "As people turn their attention from material wealth to life experiences-and avenue to an age of experiences," says Hunnicutt. "If that's a status symbols, i have no problem with that."
