susier, I might well agree that the working conditions of the flight and cabin crew are not conducive to a happy work/life balance BUT ... No one's work/life balance is what it used to be! Leastways not 99% of people!
All my friends and family feel the exigencies of modern life and only one of them is a commercial pilot. I am self-employed and, during the recession from 2008 onwards, have seen my income decline in real terms because I work in a (now) highly competitive field. Whereas there were a smallish number of people in my area doing my job (at average rates, not excessive I can assure you) now dozens have jumped on the bandwagon. I have to compete against newcomers who undercut and yet purport to offer the same level of service as myself who has been doing the job (part and then fulltime) for nearly 24 years.
Naturally, I cannot stop the newcomers and I cannot change the regulations and yet I have to continue trying to earn a living in the most expensive part of the UK. Some of the new people into this line of work have taken early retirement and are doing this for 'pin money' and have already paid off their mortgage and have a company pension to cushion them. I do not. I could continue the airline analogy about overtime and weekends but I'll save you.
When I worked in telecommunications (27 years all told) I worked in many different fields (retail, finance, shipping etc) and I have seen every single one of those bend under the same rules of harsh commercial supply and demand. It's not pretty but the only certainty is that there is no going back.
Which is why any politician who says that we can 'go back' to some other time when things were better - is talking rubbish. Humans only go in one direction and change is brought about slowly (jet propulsion replacing prop) or suddenly (govts changing the rules to allow LCCs). It's not always fun.