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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The Intensification of Work

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Work intensity has become an increasingly vital concept in understanding current changes in the employment sector, and why these changes have detrimental implications for the well-being of employees and their families. Objective measures, such as allocation or length of work hours, do not necessarily catch the tempo of work during the time spent at work. Nor are the hours an appropriate indicator of the level of mental effort and strain in and even outside of (official) work (hours). This chapter discusses the various change processes in the economy and work life that have led to the intensification of work. The chapter’s aim is also to describe how these change processes pose varying challenges for women and men in different socio-economic positions.