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

Abstract

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Others underline the difficulties women with family responsibilities face in their negotiation of paid employment (i.e. McRae 2003, Ginn et al. 1996. Here advocates claim that part-time workers are structurally constrained in their jobs due to the ongoing incompatibility of full-time employment and family life rather than being less committed to paid employment due to their weak work orientation. Permanent repository linkThis debate can only be resolved when there is an adequate understanding of how preferences and institutional structures, as well as their interaction, affect outcome. While there is a good grasp of the institutions and policies likely to structure female market

Sacrificing Their Careers for Their Families? An Analysis of the Penalty to Motherhood in Europe

“…Fourth, policies supportive of maternal employment are expected to influence the penalty to motherhood. Countries with little policy provision for maternal employment, such as the US and the UK, place working-mothers at a disadvantage relative to those without care responsibilities (Gash 2008). In a competitive market such disadvantage is likely to translate into lower pay.…”

Labour Market Mobility in Nordic Welfare States

“…She compared Denmark to West Germany, France and the UK. However, with minor exceptions, she did not find differences between the countries for temporary workers' transition into either permanent employment or unemployment, despite differences in the institutional arrangements in the countries (Gash 2008).…”

“…This means that someone working in a temporary contract is either repeatedly having temporary contracts or else finding him-or herself moving continuously between unemployment and temporary employment. Some argue that this can lead to a dual or segmented labour market with a core of permanent workers and a peripheral group of temporary employees (OECD 2002, Gash 2008. This perspective also often emphasizes the more unfavourable sides of temporary employment, like the lesser degree of job satisfaction, the greater risk of poverty and the inferior quality of the jobs (Booth et al 2000a, Booth et al 2000b, Gash 2005.…”

“…One view of this is to regard temporary employment as a form of probationary contract where the temporary employee can prove him-or herself on the job. The employers can therefore screen the skills of the temporary workers before offering them a permanent job (Gash 2008).…”

“…There are differences from country to country in how common parttime work is and how well part-time employees are integrated into working life, for example measured by the risk of exiting the labour market and the probability of switching to a full-time position (O'Reilly and Bothfeld 2002;Gash 2008). Although researchers place emphasis on institutional factors such as formal and informal barriers to part-time work in legislation and agreements (Visser 2002;Lind and Rasmussen 2008;Buddelmeyer et al 2008), explanations relating to women's opportunities for working while they have small children are central in studies of part-time working.…”