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Preference or constraint? Part-time workers' transitions in Denmark, France and the United Kingdom

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  • Vanessa Gash

    (University of Manchester, vanessa.gash@manchester.ac.uk)

Abstract

This article investigates whether women work part-time through preference or constraint and argues that different countries provide different opportunities for preference attainment. It argues that women with family responsibilities are unlikely to have their working preferences met without national policies supportive of maternal employment. Using event history analysis the article tracks part-time workers' transitions to both full-time employment and to labour market drop-out.The article compares the outcome of workers in the UK, a country with little support for maternal employment, relative to Denmark and France, two countries with a long history of facilitating workers' engagement in both paid employment and family life. It finds evidence of part-time constraint in the UK relative to the other two countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Vanessa Gash, 2008. "Preference or constraint? Part-time workers' transitions in Denmark, France and the United Kingdom," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 22(4), pages 655-674, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:22:y:2008:i:4:p:655-674
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017008096741
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Stuth, Stefan & Hennig, Marina & Allmendinger, Jutta, 2009. "Die Bedeutung des Berufs für die Dauer von Erwerbsunterbrechungen," Discussion Papers, Presidential Department P 2009-001, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    3. O’Sullivan Maeve & Cross Christine & Lavelle Jonathan, 2020. "The forgotten labour force: Characteristics and trends for older female part-time workers in Ireland," The Irish Journal of Management, Sciendo, vol. 39(1), pages 47-60, August.
    4. Maeve O'Sullivan & Christine Cross & Jonathan Lavelle, 2021. "Good or bad jobs? Characteristics of older female part‐time work," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(5), pages 423-441, September.
    5. Haya Stier & Amit Kaplan, 2020. "Are Children a Joy or a Burden? Individual- and Macro-level Characteristics and the Perception of Children," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(2), pages 387-413, April.
    6. Stefanie Kley & Sonja Drobnič, 2019. "Does moving for family nest-building inhibit mothers' labour force (re-)entry?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(7), pages 155-184.
    7. Patricia Lewis & Ruth Simpson, 2017. "Hakim Revisited: Preference, Choice and the Postfeminist Gender Regime," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 115-133, March.
    8. Ragni Hege Kitterød & Marit Rønsen & Ane Seierstad, 2011. "Working hours in dual-earner couples: Does one partner work less when the other works more?," Discussion Papers 670, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    9. Jacobo Muñoz-Comet & Stephanie Steinmetz, 2020. "Trapped in Precariousness? Risks and Opportunities of Female Immigrants and Natives Transitioning from Part-Time Jobs in Spain," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(5), pages 749-768, October.
    10. Schmid, Günther & Protsch, Paula, 2009. "Wandel der Erwerbsformen in Deutschland und Europa," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Skill Formation and Labor Markets SP I 2009-505, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    11. Schober, Pia & Scott, Jacqueline, 2012. "Maternal Employment and Gender Role Attitudes: Dissonance Among British Men and Women in the Transition to Parenthood," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 26(3), pages 514-530.
    12. O’Sullivan Maeve & Cross Christine & Lavelle Jonathan, 2020. "The forgotten labour force: Characteristics and trends for older female part-time workers in Ireland," The Irish Journal of Management, Sciendo, vol. 39(1), pages 47-60, August.
    13. Frédéric SALLADARRÉ & Stéphane HLAIMI, 2014. "Women and part-time work in Europe," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 153(2), pages 293-310, June.
    14. Younga Kim, 2015. "Changes in Precarious Employment Among South Korean Women," Mathematical Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(2), pages 101-123, June.
    15. Ragni Hege Kitterød & Marit Rønsen & AneSeierstad, 2011. "Mobilising female labour market reserves: What promotes women's transitions from part-time to full-time work?," Discussion Papers 658, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    16. Michail Veliziotis & Manos Matsaganis & Alexandros Karakitsios, 2015. "Involuntary part-time employment: perspectives from two European labour markets," ImPRovE Working Papers 15/02, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    17. Nolan, Brian & Marx, Ive & Horemans, Jeroen, 2015. "Hanging in, but only just: Part-time employment and in-work poverty through the crisis," INET Oxford Working Papers 2015-04, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
    18. Jeroen Horemans & Ive Marx, 2013. "In-work poverty in times of crisis: do part-timers fare worse?," ImPRovE Working Papers 13/14, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    19. Renzo Carriero & Lorenzo Todesco, 2018. "Housework division and gender ideology: When do attitudes really matter?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(39), pages 1039-1064.
    20. Vanessa Gash, 2009. "Sacrificing Their Careers for Their Families? An Analysis of the Penalty to Motherhood in Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 93(3), pages 569-586, September.

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