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Working part-time: achieving a successful 'work-life' balance?
1School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham. tracey.warren@nottingham.ac.uk
The British Journal of Sociology
|March 23, 2004
Summary
Part-time work for women offers limited life balance, especially in lower-level jobs. Financial security and social satisfaction are negatively impacted, challenging common work-family narratives.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Economics
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Extensive research exists on women's part-time employment and work-life balance.
- Current debates often focus narrowly on work-family dynamics, overlooking other life domains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To broaden the discussion of women's working time beyond work-family rhetoric.
- To investigate the impact of part-time employment on financial security and leisure.
- To re-evaluate 'life balancing' for women in different occupational levels.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the British Household Panel Survey.
- Comparison of women in part-time versus full-time employment.
- Examination of women across various occupational levels.
Main Results:
- Part-time employment, particularly in lower-level jobs, is linked to reduced financial security for women.
- Female part-time workers in lower occupations report lower satisfaction with their social lives.
- The study reveals a less positive 'life balancing' outcome than often depicted in work-family literature.
Conclusions:
- Work-life balance is a multi-dimensional system, not solely defined by work-family interactions.
- A holistic examination of all life domains (financial, leisure, social) is crucial for understanding part-time work impacts.
- Assessing the true benefits and drawbacks of part-time work requires considering the interplay of all life aspects.