ABSTRACT
Work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do. There has been no shortage of popular speculation about changes in Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) beliefs over time. Indeed it is one of the inevitable consequences of the popularization of an ‘explanatory concept’ like the PWE that it is debated by journalists, politicians, and lay people. The PWE concept was conceived of in the Victorian era but was about an earlier period in history notably the Reformation. Nevertheless, much has been said about the PWE in the Victorian period in Europe and America, but particularly Great Britain. Victorian values are thought to include the following: chastity, honesty, industry, obedience, patriotism, piety, and thrift. Many of these are clearly related to the PWE. Historians on both sides of the Atlantic have doubted the existence of the PWE in the Victorian era, stressing the idleness, drinking, and leisure pursuits of the workers.
