WASHINGTON The United States may be the richest country in the world, but some Americans believe they are paying too high a price when it comes to their quality of life.
As both Democratic Vice President Al Gore and his Republican rival, George W. Bush, vow to keep the economy prosperous ahead of the November 7 elections, many Americans just wish they had a little time to enjoy all that wealth, AFP reported.
Ed Han, a lawyer in a Washington law firm, is so busy he sometimes has to spend the night at the office.
Semi Cece works as a beautician during the week and as a caterer for her husband over the weekend. They need the money to pay college fees for their oldest daughter.
Charlene Bobel works for telephone company Verizon and went on strike this year just to obtain a reduction in compulsory overtime hours.
They all agree that work is swallowing them whole.
According to an Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report, American men work 49 hours a week on average and women 42 hours, in a country where two weeks vacation a year is the norm.
Americans work on average 350 hours a year more than Europeans and 70 hours more than the Japanese.
"The prosperity is true, but it's more of a mixed bag," said Jared Bernstein, who helped write the EPI report.
"Wages are up. They may not be poorer in terms of their income but they may be less well-off in terms of their living standards because they are working so much." Poor Americans, notably unmarried mothers, are forced to work longer hours to make up for cuts in social welfare programs, he said.
The middle class is being squeezed by higher healthcare, housing and education costs and also the big debt burden which has risen for the past 20 years.
"Americans don't have time to sit at cafes like Europeans do," he said.
As a result, in a country where seven out of 10 mothers work, family life is under threat. The family dinner is disappearing and 70 percent of parents say they spend too little time with their children.
Ed Han says a weekend with his wife and two daughters is rare.
Semi's 11-year-old spends a lot of time alone in front of the TV.
"People have more money, we work more, he understands," she said.
Parents have less time for themselves. Fathers have an average of one hour a day to themselves, 54 minutes less than 20 years ago, while mothers have lost 42 minutes and enjoy 50 minutes alone.
In a country where the work ethic remains strong, pockets of revolt are in evidence.
Thousands of Verizon employees went on strike for 18 days to bring overtime down from 15 hours to 7-1/2 hours a week.
This year United Airlines pilots refused to fly overtime hours.
Nurses went on strike recently in Washington D.C. complaining about lengthy overtime requirements.
Some states are taking up the cause. Laws adopted in New Jersey and Maine limiting overtime hours.