OPINION - Why choose a full-time job when freedom is so much fun?

Eight years ago I worked in an office that sometimes felt like a prison run by demons. On occasion I’d be freed for sleep, and a few pennies would be thrown my way as hush money for the mental torture I’d endured. A few hours later, morning would come, and I’d return promptly at nine for a lashing. As an emotional outlet I cried in the loos, smoked like a chimney and mainlined Diet Cokes — life was, essentially, bleak.While my mother entered the working world in the 1980s when life was awash with power suits, Quaaludes and money trees, corporate life no longer provides the same monetary gains, stability, or lifestyle guarantee that it did, and people are noticing. Specifically, men.According to a new survey, less than half of adults want to work full-time. And while women have remained steadfast in their dislike of corporate life, hovering at a lowly 38 per cent who want a nine-to-five, it’s the menfolk who’ve turned against suit life. While 77 per cent of men last year wanted full-time employment, this figure has sharply decreased to 62 per cent — and I don’t blame them.“Less than half of adults want to work full-time — and it is now the menfolk who have turned against suit life”As a self-employed person, it’s not a situation that’s always rainbows and butterflies. I’m having to dip into savings to cover taxes this year, I work while on holiday, and my pension is currently non-existent. I’m also not guaranteed a lump sum every month, I don’t get sick leave, people occasionally forget to pay me, and I can go an entire day without talking to anyone (sometimes a bonus) — but what I gain from my setup is something that doesn’t have a price tag. Freedom.Flexibility is a good friendI take my children to school every day, pick them up, and this week I’m going to a matinee play on a Thursday with my stepfather. When friends and relatives visit from overseas, I’m free to spend as much time with them as I choose. I see my parents more, sometimes work from my father’s house, and I’m going to see a psychic at noon on a Friday next week just because I can. Leading a flexible life is, for me, a luxury that’s more attractive than steady pay, especially when wages are stagnating and it seemingly costs £50 the second you set foot outside your door in London.While freedom has been attractive to women (and more specifically, mothers) who seek to juggle work, life, and family — I’ve seen how husbands and partners are being drawn to this idea, too. As a first-time primary school parent (pray for me), I’d assumed that the school gates would be heaving with tribes of women — sporty ones, glam ones, scary ones, posh ones — but it took very little time to see swathes of men, splitting the at-home work days with their partner to cover the child shepherding. I once stood alongside two dads as one remarked, apropos of nothing, “how did anyone use to do this?”, which prompted a small breakdown of every family’s logistics. All included men working from home (granted, with full-time jobs), or being self-employed — and this kind of flexibility was seen as integral to keeping everything afloat.Corporate life hasn’t just become less attractive for parents — the New York Times recently highlighted the reality of many in their thirties who feel priced out of traditional milestones such as buying houses, or having children. While we were all fed the same dream of working hard, and following the well-trodden path of our parents, we’re now on the same road, and for many it’s not leading anywhere near the destination we were told it would. With a faded sheen and lessened sparkle, the allure of a full-time job has dulled; no longer as sexy as it once was. And that’s before you even take into account how soul-destroying it can be to work with sadistic managers and co-workers who label their snacks. Without the financial incentives being what they once were, people are now looking to see what other benefits lurk beyond the four walls of an office — realising that there’s a lot more to life than just work.“I believe we’ve reached maximum capacity with podcasters, fashion influencers and sexy feet on OnlyFans”Positives of work are waningThere’s also never been more opportunity for people to be self-employed. Although I believe we’ve reached maximum capacity with podcasters, fashion influencers and sexy feet on OnlyFans. I have a male friend who’s mulling over starting his own financial consulting business, a brother-in-law who teaches English online, and a father who consults on a freelance basis from the comfort of his kitchen. Last year we went on holiday with family, and I spent mornings working alongside my husband’s cousin — a scene that might sound depressing, but something we were glad to do, happily enjoying the Portuguese countryside as our office for the week. Relieved, essentially, for our freedom to work wherever.It’s been overdue for men to join the women as we offer a withering look at full-time employment. The money doesn’t seem to be there anymore, we’ve collectively learned too much about the health benefits of nature, and apparently we all need to cook from scratch to avoid dying. It is time-consuming to be alive and remain healthy and happy, and when looking at the cost-benefit analysis of full-time employment, the positives no longer seem to outweigh the negatives. So men, I hope I’ll see you at a matinee sometime soon, or during one of my afternoon walks. Welcome to the dark side, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time here.