ABSTRACT
The expansion of part-time work over the past two decades has varied crossnationally, but a common characteristic is that up to now it has been an almost exclusively female phenomenon. This chapter tries to unravel why and where part-time work is still dominated by women and asks when do men work parttime? It will assess whether male part-time employment is likely to expand and, if so, where. In the first part of this chapter data on the international differences in the overall level and development of part-time employment are presented. Special attention is paid to the gender dimension. Next, the variation in the patterns and in the growth rates of part-time employment between countries and between different groups of workers is explained. Relevant factors include (changes in) employee preferences, the sectoral distribution of employment, transition rates, personnel policy, the business cycle, wages and non-wage cost and trade union and government policy. The chapter concludes with a summary and an outlook on the prospects for part-timers.
