Section 3: Chapter 11, Pressures of Time and Money Summary and Analysis

Putnam argues that the most obvious answer in the decline is increasing busyness. Many people use this as their reason for not getting involved. Full-time workers often feel the most harried. In addition, job insecurity, economic pressures, and declining wages may also contribute to disengagement. Putnam, however, finds that finding evidence for these issues is difficult.

First, it's not clear that people today are working harder. The number of hours worked has remained about the same since the 1940s. Men actually seem to have more leisure time. In addition, many tasks around the home have become easier and faster to complete with new appliances and inventions. There is no evidence that Americans have less leisure time overall. Some of the new free time comes from earlier retirement. Less-educated workers...