Women work an average of 68 hours per week, while men work 55 hours—a total that includes both professional commitments and household responsibilities. This was the conclusion of a 2007 study conducted by sociologists at the University of Cambridge across European Union countries.
One of the most damaging consequences of overwork is the significant reduction in time devoted to family relationships. This trend is particularly concerning given the rise of the so-called “superwoman” syndrome in recent decades—the woman that both manages her household and family while simultaneously building a career. While, in the mid-20th century, it was primarily women from lower-income families who sought employment, in 2009, in three out of four families, both parents work. This trend holds true in most industrialised countries, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.[1]
Adding to parents’ demanding schedules is the increasingly packed timetable of their children. Much of the time that parents spend with their kids is often limited to supervising schoolwork or shuttling them to extracurricular activities and sports.[2] At the same time, teenagers are spending more hours in the virtual world, engaging in social media, while meaningful communication with parents continues to decline. In 2008, 28% of Americans reported spending significantly less time with family members than in previous years—a striking figure, as this percentage had tripled since 2006.
Against this backdrop, it is no surprise that the Slow Living Movement has gained traction, advocating for a more deliberate and measured pace in various aspects of life. As early as 1999, Geir Berthelsen founded the World Institute of Slowness, promoting a way of life centred on love, compassion, and understanding. According to its mission statement, “Our aim is to slow the world down to create healthier, happier and more productive people.”[3]
From slow food to slow family
Italian gastronome Carlo Petrini, founder of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Bra, northern Italy, launched a movement dedicated to preserving traditional Italian cuisine. In 1986, he founded Slow Food as a response to the unhealthy eating philosophy promoted by fast-food restaurants.
In an interview with The Independent, Petrini emphasized that “The Slow Food philosophy is not just about taking more time to cook and enjoy a meal.” It also means supporting local economies as “an antidote to the hegemony of the multinational food producers.”[4]
Symbolised by a snail, the Slow Food movement gained traction through local communities, government initiatives, and the mass media. One by one, countries such as Switzerland, Germany, the United States, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom embraced the philosophy of “slowness.”
The idea quickly spread to other areas of life, giving rise to movements such as Slow Travel, Slow Shopping, Slow Planet, Slow Living, Slow Reading, the Slow Sex Movement, Slow Press, Slow Education, Slow Art, and, ultimately, Slow Family.
The slow family
On March 3, 2008, author Bernadette Noll announced the official start of the Slow Family Movement on her blog. Together with Carrey Contey, with a PhD in psychology, Noll launched a movement advocating for a slower pace of family life. Their goal was to help individuals craft their own family mission statements, rediscovering the reasons they built a home together and gaining a deeper understanding of what they truly seek from family relationships.
The Slow Family Movement calls for a fundamental shift in mindset and behaviour within family life. In a world where consumerism exerts constant pressure and aggressive advertising promotes the belief that “more” means “better” and “faster” is always preferable, families risk losing their true purpose. The only way to reclaim it, the movement argues, is by slowing down. By stepping back from the whirlwind of endless activities, modern families can find the time to explore and cultivate their unique identity.
Children: a new challenge to slow down
The World Institute of Slowness developed a project called Slow Planet in 2009, which included an initiative known as Slow Parenting—an approach to child-rearing that emphasises mindfulness, presence, and a rejection of the pressure to accelerate every aspect of a child’s development. One of the key books promoting this philosophy is In Praise of Slow: Challenging the Cult of Speed, written in 2004 by journalist Carl Honoré. In the 1990s, Honoré worked with street children in Brazil, an experience that later inspired him to write In Praise of Slow and Under Pressure: Rescuing Our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting (2008), both exploring the idea of raising children at a more natural, unhurried pace.
According to Honoré, “slow” doesn’t mean doing everything at a sluggish pace, but rather doing things at the right time and in the right rhythm for each activity. “Slow parenting means allowing our children to work out who they are rather than what we want them to be. It means letting things happen rather than jumping in and forcing them. It means accepting that the richest kinds of learning and experience often cannot be measured or neatly packaged on a résumé or CV.”
What the author proposes is not a call for irresponsibility, but rather a lifestyle where the relationship between parents and children is not superficial or mechanical. Instead, it should involve a deep mutual understanding and focus on the natural development of the child’s inclinations, talents, and abilities.
Honoré argues that several social factors have evolved simultaneously, creating the conditions for a “cultural perfect storm.” First, concerns about securing and maintaining employment push many parents to go to extremes in preparing their children for adulthood. Second, consumerist ideals fuel parental anxiety—even obsession—over whether they are providing enough for their children. In their pursuit of a “perfect” childhood, parents unintentionally accelerate the pace of life, leading to tension and crisis within the family. Honoré recalls a moment when he found himself considering purchasing a collection titled One-Minute Bedtime Stories. “I suddenly realised I was racing through my life instead of living it,” he declares in an interview.
A gold rush or a snail’s pace?
As society grapples with major crises, the crisis of the family often seems to fade into the background. Materialism drives many families into a relentless cycle of overwork and overscheduling, overshadowing their real needs. Yet despite this, families continue to struggle with their own anxieties and unfulfilled aspirations, and the future seems bleak. The slow family movement could be the long-lost key to restoring balance. It is a concept that transcends cultures and social conditions.
Of course, change is often met with resistance—it is stressful and unsettling. But true progress requires both investment and sacrifice. The philosophy of slowing down must be studied, understood, and consciously embraced. There is also an ironic pitfall to avoid: slowing down should not be rushed, nor should it become an end in itself. What truly matters is recognising that families need the time and space to experience life’s most genuine joys and deepest fulfillment.
Suggestions for successfully embracing a slow family lifestyle:
- Make your family your top priority.
- Ensure that you have given your family everything you possibly can.
- Consider the developmental stage of each family member.
- Be ready to adjust the pace when necessary.
- Pause from time to time to bring order to your life.
- Make sure you have arrived where you intended to be.
- Develop a clear understanding of both your own emotions and those of others.
- Evaluate whether what works for others is truly applicable to your own family.
- Define success on your own family’s terms.
- Don’t shy away from challenging things that may seem unchangeable.
