PEOPLE who work more than 39 hours a week are putting their health at risk, according to new research from The Australian National University. 

Lead researcher Dr Huong Dinh from the ANU Research School of Population Health says about two in three Australians in full-time employment worked more than 40 hours a week, with long hours a bigger problem for women who do more unpaid work at home.

“Long work hours erode a person’s mental and physical health, because it leaves less time to eat well and look after themselves properly,” Dinh says.

For women, Dinh says the healthy work limit is 34 hours per week once their other commitments are considered. The healthy work limit for men is up to 47 hours a week generally because they spend much less time on care or domestic work than women.

“Despite the fact that women on average are as skilled as men, women on average have lower paid jobs and less autonomy than men, and they spend much more time on care and domestic work,” Dinh says.

“Given the extra demands placed on women, it’s impossible for women to work long hours often expected by employers unless they compromise their health.”

The research used data from about 8000 Australian adults as part of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey.

The research is published in Social Science & Medicine.