To stop working is good for health and the climate

"To quit working is good for health and climate"

"Two scholars on the ”downshifting”: More advantages than disadvantages to switch down"

"This is a kulturartikel which is a part of Aftonbladet's opinionsjournalistik."

"It is with great interest we take part of the debate surrounding Åsa Axelsson, fyrbarnsmamman that went into the wall and dropped out of the rat race. There are many women (and even some men) who have suffered the same fate: this disease, in the wake of incompatible requirements on the job and in the home."

"Many are those who leave their jobs, but it is enough – so far – quite a few who do that Åsa: find their creativity, turning their backs to the konsumtionshetsen, cultivating his garden and his social relations, and write a book."

"We look Åsa Axelsson as an example of a small but growing group who are sometimes called downshifters. There is today a growing awareness against the fact that we need to set our lifestyles toward more sustainable choices, which require our time rather than our money. There are incapacity rate, which rises in the height. And there is research that suggests that in the future we will work fewer hours, so that we do not need the money equivalent to a full-time salary."

"Downshifting is all about to voluntarily go down in working hours, shift down, often from a högbetalt work in order to live in voluntary simplicity. Instead of money, select the time, rather than for consumption, you choose the social relations, instead of the career you choose creative activities, and many start their own business."

"Just as Åsa Linderborg writes (Aftonbladet 10 feb), so such a lifestyle, in many ways, the right time: it is socially and ecologically sustainable. Linderborgs criticism is in that, with this lifestyle utilizes the taxpayers ' purpose, and that in addition, the risk to become dependent on their partner (read: housewife) by violating heltidsnormen."

"So it is the right of downshiftaren to borrow books from the library if you no longer contribute to the funding? Partially Linderborg, of course, right, those who choose not to work at all is not conducive to the maintenance of the general welfare."

"nMen here we must stop and ask ourselves if the shift down is really not working? To grow vegetables and write a book is an effort (on the run) can pay off, even financially. If not downshifters who have given out a book has the (moral) right to borrow books from the library, then why should other new authors have the right to do it? Or self-employed before they have become profitable?"

"We must also try to understand society in all the complexity. Many in Sweden are experiencing mental illness or have been ill due to an increased level of stress in everyday life. If the option of voluntary simplicity is no longer able to be a full-time job, but rather sick leave, then is it society less to load through a new, self-chosen lifestyle."

"We do not believe that Axelsson is so vulnerable that the woman who Linderborg want to make."

"the impact on those who live in voluntary simplicity, its ”organic account is much smaller than most of the others, through to patch and mend, pick your own berries, reduce its travel. The problem is that the environmental costs and the costs of mental illness, and the like are swept under the carpet. Moreover, we believe that people who shift down often choose to move to less orders in the needs of the new population, which also should be considered in the public interest."

"nSamtidigt there is legitimate criticism of downshifting as something that is only for high-income earners. Add to this Linderborg aspect of race and gender, to down-shifting would only be accepted for ”the white woman”."

"however, We believe that it is possible to look at the matter from another point of view: while it is true that it financially is easier to go down in working hours and shift down, for example, a physician than for a nurse so it is possible to be low income and live in voluntary simplicity. Such a lifestyle requires, by definition, not a high income."

"the Same, it would probably be possible for women (and men) to live in voluntary simplicity, even without a partner's income. We do not think that Axelsson is so vulnerable that the woman who Linderborg want to make. One can also wonder how many förstagångsförfattare that has a full-time partner at his side. And one may wonder where the limit goes for when they really should be called the housewives (or hemmamän)."

"nSamtidigt we do not want to hide the fact that downshifting involves a risk of uneven distribution of tasks in the home, and as social scientists, we advocate, therefore, just as Linderborg writes, a more evenly distributed down within a household."

"On the whole, however, we see more advantages than disadvantages with downshifting and believes that such a lifestyle means parts of the answer to two of our greatest societal challenges: the growing mental illness and the galloping climate. In such a time it will not be wrong to shift down in order to live more socially and ecologically sustainable."

"nCharlotta HedbergnDocent and associate professor, department of geography, Umeå university"

"nMarco EimermannnForskare and project manager, department of geography, Umeå university"