Working Day, the time of day during which the worker is engaged at the enterprise he is employed by. The social nature of the working day is dictated by the existing relations of production. The working day is divided into necessary working time and surplus working time. Under capitalism this division is antagonistic, and reflects the desire of the capitalist to obtain the highest possible surplus value through extending the surplus time. The maximum length of the working day under capitalism depends on two factors: on the physical limit of using labour power, because the worker needs time for sleep, rest, eating, and the satisfaction of other physiological needs, and on socially defined spiritual needs, since the worker needs also time for satisfying his spiritual and social needs, whose extent and nature depend on the overall status of culture in his country and on the degree to which the proletariat is organised. In the final analysis the length of the working day is a function of the balance of forces in the struggle between the capitalists and the proletariat. The actual length of the working day is significantly influenced by labour intensity, the extent of unemployment, the level of real wages, and the phases of the industrial cycle (see Cycle, Capitalist). In the capitalist countries the excessively long working day which some working people have to accept exists side by side with underemployment and unemployment. Reduction of the working day is concurrent with increased intensity of work and exploitation of the working class. It is only through a socialist revolution, the elimination of the capitalist system, and the seizure of political power by the working class that normal conditions for work and recreation are possible, along with the gradual reduction of the working day and a simultaneous improvement in living standards. Under socialism, all working time, both necessary and surplus, becomes time for working for oneself and society. There is no antagonistic conflict, as under capitalism, between the two parts of the working day. At each stage of development, socialist society determines in an orderly way the length of the working day with a view to guaranteeing the fuller satisfaction of the growing material and spiritual requirements of society members with due regard for the existing level of productive forces, the productivity of social labour, the need for greater production, the domestic and international situation, etc. Under socialism, the normal working day presumes normal intensity of labour, which is dictated by scientific and technical progress and the need to effectively use production assets; at the same time it must guarantee socially acceptable conditions for the functioning of labour power, and the harmonious development of the working people’s abilities. Within the framework of the specific context and tasks of building communism, the socialist state reduces the working time through various ways, such as reduction of the working day, reduction of the working week ( increasing the number of holidays), and reduction of the number of working days in a year (lengthening paid leave). Reduction of the working day under socialism 392 improves working conditions and increases the spare time (see Spare Time under Socialism) of the working people. In this way better conditions are created for the harmonious development of members of socialist society and their active involvement in the political, economic, and cultural life of the country. The chief prerequisite for reduction of the working day under socialism is the constant growth of social labour productivity. The working day is reduced in the context of full employment and the constantly rising real incomes of the working people. Gradual shift-over to a shorter working day and extension of the spare time of the working people is an inherent feature of advanced socialist society evolving into communism.