This paper examines various scenarios of social change in industrialised societies. Amongst the ideas considered are: the post-industrial society thesis; reduction of (paid) work time; the leisure revolution; the self-provisioning of services; and the growth of the symmetrical family. These propositions are tested by comparing data gathered in the 1974 Cities Commission study of time use in Melbourne (N=717) with data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics Pilot Study of Time Use conducted in Sydney, 1987 (N=1611). Analysis of time spent on leisure, paid and unpaid work. The results of this analysis indicate a significant modification of the ideas about the probable future of industrial societies is needed.