A comparative Study of France, Iceland, and Mexico.
Published on 6th June 2023. By: Duoduo Yang, Hoang Ngan Vo, Malek Rebai, Suxian Feng, Jingqi Xu, Thuy Duong Phan
Pursuing a healthy work-life balance has been a prominent concern for people, as evidenced by previous protests in France regarding working hours in 2016. To further understand the relationship between working hours and happiness scores, we will examine data from 2018-2022 by firstly offering a separate geographical perspective on average weekly working hours and world happiness scores sourced from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Happiness Report respectively. An overview of the connection between working hours and happiness scores around the world is also presented. The report then provides a zoom in France, Iceland and Mexico, aiming to explain the motivations behind their selection.
Interestingly, countries with fewer working hours, such as Iceland , tend to have higher happiness scores, while those with more working hours, like Mexico, tend to have lower happiness scores. France falls somewhere in between, with similar working hours to Iceland but a happiness score more comparable to Mexico. This raises the question of whether work-related policies play a role in explaining this unique scenario.
Let’s take a closer look at 3 countries: France, Iceland and Mexico by first exploring the relationship between weekly productivity output and working horse among 3 countries in 2018. The below figure shows that France had the fewest working hours among the three countries, yet it boasted the highest weekly productivity output, which Iceland also follows. On the other hand, Mexico had the most extended working hours but exhibited the lowest weekly productivity output.
*Productivity output is measured as gross domestic product (GDP) per hour of work.
The figure shows that France had the fewest working hours among the three countries, yet it boasted the highest weekly productivity output, which Iceland also follows. On the other hand, Mexico had the most extended working hours but exhibited the lowest weekly productivity output. It can be explained by the fact that France has the highest GDP in 2018. Also, socio-economic, historical, and cultural factors play a vital role in the average weekly working hours by country. For instance, many Mexican's concerns about unemployment, rising prices, and sluggish economic growth have led to longer workweeks in Mexico. Details of further analysis can be found below.
From the overview, we want to zoom into more detail of several factors from the social aspect among three countries - France, Iceland and Mexico.
Gender difference
The cultural dimension is a crucial aspect of understanding the workplace culture of countries. Among the three countries, France and Iceland are associated with femininity, whereas Mexico is characterized by masculine culture.
*Data with no gender information is not regarded in this graph.
Generally, Males have higher working hours than females across three countries. Compared to males who work above the average weekly working hours, females tend to have working hours below the average.
Marital status
Zooming into the marital status, the post-marriage working hours of males in these three countries increased compared to when they were single, while the changes for females are more complex.
*based on the lastest data.
On a global scale, the working hours of females tend to decrease after marriage. The possible reason for this decrease may be related to the level of commitment to family responsibilities. Females tend to allocate more time to their families compared to males, resulting in a reduction in their working hours.This situation is observed in Mexico and France. However, it is a different situation for females in Iceland. After marriage, their working hours increase, similar to males. This difference may be attributed to the country's high level of social welfare.
Social benefits
*based on the lastest data.
In Iceland, generous welfare policies like parental leave and paid vacations contribute to high happiness levels and fewer working hours. The country has strong gender equality policies, including equal pay and extensive parental leave, promoting workplace balance and reducing stress for new parents. These policies also help reduce workplace discrimination and increase overall happiness.
In France, the social benefits of paid public holidays and vacations are similar to Iceland, but the parental leave situation differs. While maternity leave is relatively generous at 16 weeks, paternity leave is only four weeks. This imbalance can increase stress and financial pressure for new fathers and contribute to workplace discrimination against mothers. Women who take long postnatal leaves or work part-time after childbirth may be perceived as not investing enough in their work. These factors may lower overall happiness levels in the country.
Mexico is the lower-benefit country compared to the other two. Despite this inequality, Mexicans still have higher levels of happiness. This can be attributed to socially dominant Mexican values emphasizing competition, achievement, and success. Working more is seen as a social norm in Mexico, which starkly contrasts France, where the individual quality of life is prioritized.
Healthy lifestyle indicators
Healthy life expectancy plays a contributing role in estimating the overall happiness score . Considering the work perspective, we wanted to concentrate on healthy lifestyle indicators (alcohol consumption, death rates with high systolic pressure, alcohol consumption, and cardiovascular diseases) and explore how working hours affect the health dimension, thereby influencing the happiness levels of France, Iceland, and Mexico.
The evolution of deaths with high systolic blood pressure & alcohol consumption among France, Iceland, and Mexico
First, we want to take a look at the evolution of deaths with high systolic blood pressure & with alcohol consumption. France sustained an evolution above the world average concerning death rates from alcohol consumption and high systolic blood pressure. The death rates in Mexico kept increasing with respect to alcohol-related deaths reaching the average in 2017 and going above it in the last years.
Relationship between working hours and deaths by cardiovascular diseases among France, Iceland, and Mexico
Second, let's focus on the relationship between working hours and deaths by cardiovascular diseases per country.
From 2016 and onwards France and Iceland have remained below the average weekly working hours, which is not the case for Mexico. On the other hand, France and Iceland recorded high death rates from cardiovascular diseases. This rate and the reduced weekly working hours have decreased over the years. In Mexico, despite the decrease in working hours, there has been an increase in deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases, which exceeded the average rate in 2020. This suggests that other aspects are influencing the results.
Relationship between total alcohol consumption and working hours per country among France, Iceland, and Mexico
Regarding alcohol consumption and average working hours in 2018, France had the highest alcohol consumption of 12.33 liters and the lowest below the average working hours, followed by Iceland, with comparable working hours and 9.12 liters of consumed alcohol. On the other hand, Mexico reported the highest average of weekly working hours and the lowest alcohol consumption, with 5 liters of alcohol per person.
We could infer that the high alcohol consumption in France, despite the limited working hours, could explain the high alcohol-related death rates. The example of Mexico suggests that working hours are not necessarily implied in high alcohol consumption. Observing the analysis outcome, we conclude that there’s no relationship between increased working hours and high alcohol consumption
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What do we learn from all this?
Varied socially dominant values and social welfare policies contribute to contrasting happiness scores and working hours among France, Iceland, and Mexico.
The high score of happiness of Iceland people comes from a high-welfare society and less gender discrimination in the workplace.
For Mexican people, since work is the breadwinner for most of their families, they are less sensitive to working hours. This explains why they work long hours and maintain a high happiness index.
Although the people in France and Iceland have similar social benefits, there is still invisible gender discrimination in the workplace, which leads to their working hours being equal, but their happiness index is different.
Iceland and Mexico tend to consume less alcohol, despite the working hours; however, fewer working hours positively impacts life expectancy.
Eventually, happier countries (Iceland, Mexico) tend to consume less alcohol regardless of their average working hours.
From the health aspect, it seems that a reduction in working hours might positively impact the life expectancy among workers from the perspective of both Iceland and France. These findings emphasize the importance of considering the health implications of achieving a work-life balance, ultimately leading to improved overall well-being.
Overall, making concrete and direct interpretations or conclusions regarding the question, "Can fewer working hours unlock happier nations?" is challenging. Fewer working hours might lead to happier countries i.e., Iceland, but it does not imply for the other two countries. The more multi-dimensional analysis could give deeper and solid insights.
