Running Out Of Time

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In the documentary, “Running Out of Time,” I would identify the 5 main conclusions as: 1) there has been an increase in work hours; 2) there has been a decrease in free time; 3) parents spend less time with their children; 4) single parents are the most time crunched and; 5)technology has not created more free time. According to the data and analysis provided in the Time for life book and in the sociology book Time for life, the first 3 of these conclusions are incorrect. It has been proven by the authors of TFL that: 1) there has not been an increase in work hours, average work hours have actually decreased; 2) there has actually been an increase in free time, not a decrease and; 3) parents actually are spending just as much time with their kids. In the TFL book, it is explained how the incorrect conclusions of the documentary are heavily influenced by Americans’ perception and attitudes towards time. In the documentary, it was concluded that the average work week has dramatically increased. They put a lot of blame on the idea of “forced overtime.” This is when an employee is forced to work past the regular 40 hours a week that is standard for a fulltime employee. However, the methods used to get to these conclusions are questionable. It seems that many of the data presented in this documentary were derived from time estimates. In my sociology of time and leisure class, we discussed the ways in which time estimates can produce inaccurate results. Anything from the participants’ inability to calculate the hours spent doing an activity to their memory’s imperfections, to the wording of the questionnaire can greatly affect the outcome of a study. Time diaries is a way to minimize these discrepancies since it is more opened ended and is recorded shortly after an activity is completed. Using this method, TFL found there is actually a decrease in work hours for the
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