I actually do work only 40 to 50 hours a week (usually no more than 40), make around $45k a year, and have time to enjoy life. It helps that my parents are well-off and generous with their money. I also live in Los Angeles.

I don't believe that people should have to get lucky, move to a small town or the Midwest, or settle for an old house to have more leisure. The entire country's goal should be to achieve more money and more leisure, with work approaching zero as much as possible. (Intelligent robots, anyone?) That's called progress, and it makes modernization worthwhile.

I also happen to be a woman in IT who would leave the profession entirely if I could make money by myself on the Internet or through investments, though I would probably still do software and web development on the side just to keep my skills sharp.