For families, the total time spent working has increased at an even faster rate because more family members have had to go to work. This means taking overtime when it's offered, working a second job, or having a second or third or fourth family member working outside the home. We all know the harmful effects of overwork. People get tired and irritable. Exhaustion and stress can and do lead to illness and lowered resistance to disease.
People feel cheated and abused, and they get angry.
All too often, the anger is expressed in an aggressive, violent or self-destructive way. All this takes its inevitable toll on personal relationships. Families break up at an increasing rate, friendships are strained, and the pain is compounded by the guilt and anxiety felt over failed relationships. Of course, long working hours is not the only reason for these problems. But as long as people don't even have time to be with and communicate with each other, problems of living together will go unsolved and get worse.