Time bomb: work rest and play in Australia today

by Barbara Pocock, Natalie Skinner, Philippa Williams

Relevant and sharp, this record turns a careful eye to the issue of time poverty, throwing light on poor urban planning, workplace policies, and other sociopolitical issues that rob working families of time. While maximizing productivity and enhancing professional skills, Australians must raise their children, care for their elderly, be involved in their communities, and shrink their carbon footprints. This book investigates what it costs Australian families to do it all: how men’s time is taken up by work, crowding out their capacity to care, and how women struggle to strike a balance between professional ambition and household obligations. It also investigates how work impacts the response to the greatest concern of the 21st century—the planet’s sustainability.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Hannah Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting insight into the ways that work affects our quality of life, as well as all the things that come with work. I liked this book’s systematic treatment of things like leave, urban planning, and social groups and how they affect the way we work, rest, and form communities.

While Time Bomb is now around ten years old, I think its observations are increasingly relevant in the post-COVID world, especially with the mainstreaming of work from home. Definitely worth a read if you’re interested in work life balance and its complexities.