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by kitsunesoba
1203 days ago
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Lifestyle is certainly a factor, but the bigger thing is the safety net one has built (or is in the process of building) for themselves, which depending on place of living can be crucial. In the US where I live and the public safety net is rather thin for example, one could downsize income in pursuit of better work life balance and be getting along fine, but wind up in trouble when say major medical expenses strike and chew through income and start eating through savings. So even if I started living extremely frugally I wouldn’t feel comfortable moving to part-time until I have enough padding to not be completely financially ruined by a series of unfortunate events. Of course this is possible even working full-time, but the increased income that brings improves the situation considerably. |
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The system is set up in such a way that it punishes people who are not chasing higher incomes, up to a point.
Past that point it starts to reward people heavily. When you make enough that you stop worrying about saving and start affording vacation homes and yachts and flying first class everywhere. That's the "lifestyle" thing.
Most people don't earn nearly enough to have expensive lifestyles unless they are heavily in debt. And those people have heavily borrowed from their own futures to finance their current lifestyle, it will bite them later
Most people's incomes leave them in a lot of uncertainty. One or two major expenses in a row will screw them.
If the choice is "work full time and have a stable, comfortable income" or "work part time and have an uncertain, shaky income" that's not a real choice.
If people could work part time and still make the stable income, more people would. I guarantee it.