With 11% of U.S. employees working 50 or more hours a week and the average American spending 40% of their day dedicated to their jobs, the U.S. is on the lower end of work-life balance among developed countries
OECD looks at the percentage of workers who work long hours as well as the average time spent on leisure or personal activities — including eating and sleeping — in order to determine work-life balance. The Netherlands comes out on top. On average, the Dutch work 353 hours fewer than Americans every year and almost 70% of Dutch women work (compared to the OECD average of 57%). This is up from 35% in the 1980s, although many women work only part time.
Meanwhile, the U.S. — the only OECD country without a national paid parental leave policy — has seen female employment drop over the past 10 years, according to OECD.
