People's perceived needs grow but that is not the whole story.
Many people now are spending almost 50% of their pre-tax income on housing, and most of that is the price of land and goes to landlords. It seems that landlords inevitably capture a big chunk of people's salary increases.
Additionally in the US your health insurance is generally tied to your job; even after Obamacare you probably have to work to pay for your monthly insurance.
If housing costs went way down and health insurance were universal, I suspect many people would feel much less need to work so many hours.
Many people now are spending almost 50% of their pre-tax income on housing, and most of that is the price of land and goes to landlords. It seems that landlords inevitably capture a big chunk of people's salary increases.
Additionally in the US your health insurance is generally tied to your job; even after Obamacare you probably have to work to pay for your monthly insurance.
If housing costs went way down and health insurance were universal, I suspect many people would feel much less need to work so many hours.