I'm not sure what your comment is trying to say. >They would only decrease much later, after a long period of social conflict, economic growth, and technologic

I'm not sure what your comment is trying to say. >They would only decrease much later, after a long period of social conflict, economic growth, and technological progress. The technological process mentioned here as Industrial Revolution, was the necessary step. It was not primarily social conflicts. The above poster is making exactly the same point. You are right that there was an aberration in the middle where people worked way more hours but this was when things were consolidating. But your post implies that the preference of people was to work less hours as opposed to work more hours and earn more money, which is not the case.