24/7 Society—The New Timing of Work?

Public debate on societal rhythms, in particular working hours, has been dominated by a (fear) scenario about a shift towards a 24/7 society. Factors such as the services- and information-driven economy, deregulation of opening hours, changes in the rhythms of consumer culture have been expected to disrupt "normal" working time. The term '24/7 society' is part of the popular discussion and occasionally encountered in academic writing as well. 24/7-society is expected to create both new opportunities and new risks. In this chapter, we produce up-to-date literature review to examine how the post-industrial, services-dominated economy changes work and leisure time practices. This chapter also employs different data sources (e.g. European working conditions surveys from three decades as well as Time Use Surveys from selected countries) to assess empirically changes in timing of work and time use.