Lessons and Legacies

The 35-hour week experiment offers valuable lessons beyond France's borders. First, radical working time reduction is possible without economic collapse—France remains prosperous despite predictions of doom. Second, implementation matters more than legislation—the flexibility within France's rigid framework enabled adaptation. Third, cultural values shape economic possibilities—policies successful in France might fail elsewhere lacking similar social contracts.

The policy's mixed outcomes demonstrate that no single approach to work-life balance satisfies all needs. Individual preferences, industry requirements, and life stages create irreducible diversity. France's attempt to legislate universal standards revealed both solidarity's strengths and uniformity's limitations. The ongoing evolution toward more flexible arrangements while maintaining protective minimums might offer models for other societies.

Most profoundly, the 35-hour week challenged assumptions about work's centrality to human identity and social organization. By asserting that less work could mean more life, France opened conversations now occurring globally. Whether through universal basic income, job guarantees, or working time reduction, societies increasingly question whether 20th-century employment models suit 21st-century realities.