Why Are Spaniards So Lazy?

There is a stereotype about Spaniards being lazy that is hard to remove. If you ask me, I don't think Spaniards are lazier than people in other countries, but we have some traditions that make us look like that.

In the frist place we have siesta, a time between lunch and afternoon work time, that is saved for a sleeping. This is weird, mainly for other Europeans, but if you have to work in the country with more than 40 ºC you will understand the reason. Besides, though it is true we have more free time to have launch, it is also a fact that we leave our work places later than most of our country neighbors.

What is absolutely true is that Spanish productivity is very bad in comparison with other developed countries. It is hard to belive how a country in which people spend so much time working, that outcome is so low.

There are some cultural reasons. During Medieval Age working was for people with a bad moral. People with honor didn't work in Spain. They were religious or nobles. Religious people didn't work, since what they should be doing is praying. Nobles didn't do it either, because they received money from the peasants. There was a kind of agreement, never signed by the poorests, in which nobles dind't work in exchange of army protection.

So there was two ways to be honorable: praying and fighting, but not working.

When Industrial Revolution happened this was a great issue. The king had to release some laws saying that workers were as honorable as non-workers. There are documments saying that being shoemaker, for example, is not bad at all.

If the king needed to do that, you can imagine how deep the belief of the unmorality of working was. And it still survives a little.

It is not that you are not honorable if you are hard-worker now, but many people support lazy people. When we have politicians that make a life without working, stealing and lieing, there is always a voice that says "wouldn't you dot the same if you had the chance?".

From Asian point of view, western is a big block, but the truth is that there is a very big difference between Anglo-Saxon and Mediterraneans. I don't think one is better than the other in general, but when it comes to compete in capitalism, for sure Mediterraneans have a lack of spirit. We see life different, we like sun and life more than money.