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European Women's Lobby - EWL

http://www.womenlobby.org/spip.php?article1141

New EU Figures on Part-Time Work Highlight Persistence of Strong Gender Imbalance

4 February 2011

Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, has published fresh figures about part time work in Europe in a report entitled ’Partime Work in Europe – European Company Survey 2009’.

Here are some of the key findings:

• In 2009 the part-time rate for women (32%) is four times the part-time rate for men (8%). Part-time work is increasing in Europe: between 1999 and 2009. The proportion of women working part-time increased from 28.5% to 32.0%, while the male part-time rate increased from 6.4% to 8.3%. While male part-time is most common in the youngest and the oldest age groups, the female part-time rate increases with age, reflecting gender inequalities in transitions from part-time to full time.
• The difference between the part-time rates of males and females is highest in the Netherlands – where over two thirds of working women and about a quarter of working men work part-time. It is followed by Germany and Austria, while in Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Lithuania the part-time rate for men is nearly the same as for women. There is a link between women’s part-time work and lack of access to childcare.
• Although women according to the study work often part-time voluntary to balance work and family life and although it is seen as a way to increase women’s labor market participation one should bear in mind that the conditions of part-time workers are worse than those working fulltime, resulting in further gender inequalities in terms of income.
• There are hardly any positions for highly qualified people who want to work part-time: Three quarters of European companies have no part-time workers in managing positions or in positions requiring high qualifications.