They go to work when some go home. In factories, hospitals, airports… women are increasingly subject to staggered working hours. According to a recent study published by the National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), women’s exposure to “atypical” working hours even increased between 2013 and 2019 for the least qualified, while it decreased for executives.
The documentary broadcast this Thursday evening on France 3 follows a handful of night workers. No voiceovers here, just women’s voices, composed and determined, who tell us about their “inverted” daily life. All remain anonymous, as if they were one. A mass of invisible workers.
Their testimonies are powerful. They look back on their life journey. Some seem to have chosen it, others less so, but in the end, life decided for them. If some mention a better salary and a calmer pace, we quickly understand that these are not the main reasons that led them to live offbeat. At the hospital, “for a night of 10 hours, it’s 10 euros gross more”, declares by way of example a nurse.
“You will live less long”
“Working at night is like sport: it’s mental. If you condition yourself on it, you can do it,” says another worker in a warlike tone. But very quickly all evoke fatigue, permanent. “I chose to do the nights because it was complicated with young children. My husband didn’t care. The only solution I have found is to be at night, ”says another.
The documentary is shot at their own pace: slower perhaps, but above all longer: “I leave at 9:30 p.m. when my children are in bed. When I come home, they are still in bed and then I take them to school. It’s now 2:30 am, time for a little coffee. “Sleep is in ambush everywhere”, we hear. “Night work, you feel it; the body, it takes a slap, you have to say what is. »
Very quickly, health problems are mentioned, or rather the lack of communication on this subject. “We are not informed of health problems. The only thing I was told was: “You will live shorter because night work reduces life expectancy”. »
“For 10 years, I was not told anything and I was not alerted to the health risks and in particular concerning breast cancer. “And then the departure is not possible:” I can not afford to leave this job. There is the house, the studies to pay…” The lack of sleep also leads them to put themselves in danger: “I have already had a car accident. I closed my eyes for ten seconds and left… I found my head upside down. »
“Night work has created a vacuum”
After work, these night workers return to their homes at the first light of day. They find their families there, some of whom admit that they only cross paths. “Either we live in the dark all the time, or we agree to sleep less. The shutters close on the day: place only three or four hours of rest before the start of the second day of work.
“I have a sleep deficiency which is huge. “And for good reason, these women must then take care of the tasks in the house: cleaning, the children’s homework, medical appointments…” A man who sleeps during the day, that’s normal. A woman, no, because she has to take care of her interior,” said one of them. The same who continues: “Women are very active in their professional lives without having let go of everything they had to do before and everything they have to think about”… The mental workload.
And then the absence of social life also has a devastating effect: “The night work has created a vacuum. We can’t bond if we’re not there.”
And after the observation, the time of regrets: “I relieved the others of a weight for their well-being without thinking of mine”, “in history I lost myself”.
The documentary “They work at night” is broadcast this Thursday, May 5 at 10:35 p.m. on France 3 Grand Est.