Also interesting is the trend break in the US around the time Reagan took to the stage. Before that time, Americans' working hours gradually went down like thos

Also interesting is the trend break in the US around the time Reagan took to the stage. Before that time, Americans' working hours gradually went down like those of the quoted Europeans. After that time, they more or less kept the same hours for years on end while their European colleagues kept on their downward trend. Compare this graph to the one which shows that average income for the lower 90 percentile stagnated around that time, while income for the top 10 - and especially for the top of the top - exploded. While correlation does not imply causation, I think it is likely that both these trends are related. Wage earners have to work longer hours due to stagnating wages and rising costs, while top earners rake in the extra profits generated by those longer working hours. According to economic theory this money is supposed to trickle down but that does not happen - the rich get richer.