Fun can be stressful

WSJ has a very interesting piece in their todays paper (subscription required) that shows how stressful it has been to Koreans to go to five days a week. Some interesting points:

Jun In Kyung is one unhappy housewife.

Her husband’s employer just started giving him two Saturdays off a month. The 36-year-old wrestling teacher’s new schedule, though, means Ms. Jun has to spend more of her time cooking and doing extra housework. Plus, she grumbles, after staying out late with his buddies on Friday nights, her husband sleeps a lot on Saturdays — cramping their two children’s indoor playtime.

“Home is supposed to be women’s space and I don’t like it when he spends more time in my space,” says Ms. Jun, also 36. “It’s like an invasion.”

But as you may expect

Not everyone is having trouble adjusting. Mr. Kim’s 39-year-old colleague, Lee Sang Cheon, has embraced the extra days off. Now, Mr. Lee says, he has time to take Japanese lessons, practice golf and go on weekend outings with his wife and two young daughters. “I love this: being with my family and friends near the beach and being able to relax,” he says, laughing while his little daughter crawls over him at a seaside restaurant on a weekend jaunt.