Housewives who do not work, often envied for their supposedly abundant free time, are anything but satisfied with their leisure time. Although non-working housewives have 4.9 hours of free time per day in purely mathematical terms, and American women even have 5.9 hours, this privilege is viewed very differently from the perspective of those affected.

According to a study by the BAT Leisure Time Research Institute, housewives report too little "time for themselves". There is a clear gap between the objective amount of free time, which is often fragmented throughout the day, and the subjective feeling of actually having so much free time.

Of the women surveyed who complained about too little personal free time, 88 % blamed their family, spouse and children for this. In response to the additional question "How could you get more free time?", 42 % were in favour of temporary relief in the household. They would like more help from family members, cleaning help and occasional childcare by others.

Only by travelling longer stretches of leisure time in one go can housewives' leisure time become truly available free time, a chance to develop their own leisure interests, relax and enjoy leisure.

What many men instinctively know has finally been confirmed by science: the bar has a socially valuable leisure function. Who would have thought that the small pub on the corner would subsequently experience such a revaluation. As the experts at the BAT Leisure Research Institute found out, the bar atmosphere fulfils the growing need for non-binding contact.

The unwritten law of pubs is that if you want to be left alone, you stay alone, if you want to talk, you can talk. The typical bar acquaintance comes about spontaneously and by chance. It allows for constant intensification or restraint, one fluctuates between intimacy and anonymity. Making contact is easier with a beer. Music and a babble of voices are the ideal backdrop for conversations and silence.

It's understandable that for some, the recipe for a successful end to the day is to stop off at a pub before going home, wash down the day's troubles and get everything off your chest if you feel like it.

- What is needed is humanity -

Plenty of free time in the future, but it doesn't necessarily make us happy. The results of a study by the BAT Leisure Research Institute can be summarised in this short formula. The main reason: we are poorly trained for leisure time. A lack of leisure interests and alienation from our fellow human beings are the roots of many problems in leisure time.

Decreasing communication at work is followed by isolation after work, at weekends and on holiday. Although modern mass media are bringing foreign worlds ever closer, our immediate neighbours are becoming like beings from another planet. The cohabitation of many people in a confined space, whether at home or on holiday, does not create human closeness. On the contrary, people on the threshold of the 1980s tend to isolate themselves. The home develops into an island of leisure. The increasing lack of contact contrasts with the abundance of consumption.

Happier leisure time requires more shared activities, more mutual acceptance and recognition, trust and understanding. It is important to meet your fellow human beings, to listen to each other, to respond to each other. What is needed is humanity.

One in five Germans now say they feel lonely. Surprisingly, this is not a question of age. As the research results of the BAT Institute show, young people are much more prone to feelings of loneliness and tendencies to escape and drop out.

Loneliness is always also a result of unresolved trust issues. In a society in which the competitive principle prevails at work and the consumer principle in leisure time, interpersonal understanding is made more difficult. Career and consumer orientation have always tended to turn fellow human beings into rivals. Professor Opaschowski, Scientific Director of the BAT Leisure Research Institute: "Seen in this light, the managerial type who is used to success can be just as lonely in the midst of non-stop activity as the old woman on the bench surrounded by pigeons." For the future, he calls for the "more leisure time" to be invested in the development of a new sense of community, in a feeling of togetherness based on shared leisure interests and life goals: "Having more time for leisure must become an opportunity for community life. Everyone must contribute to this task, especially the school, which must become a practical place of learning for work and leisure."