Check out the
NY Times article on men happily not at work:

Millions of men like Mr. Beggerow — men in the prime of their
lives, between 30 and 55 — have dropped out of regular work. They are turning
down jobs they think beneath them or are unable to find work for which they are
qualified, even as an expanding economy offers opportunities to work.


About 13 percent of American men in this age group are not working, up from 5
percent in the late 1960’s. The difference represents 4 million men who would be
working today if the employment rate had remained where it was in the 1950’s and
60’s.


Many of these men could find work if they had to, but with lower pay and fewer
benefits than they once earned, and they have decided they prefer the
alternative. It is a significant cultural shift from three decades ago, when men
almost invariably went back into the work force after losing a job and were more
often able to find a new one that met their needs.