The aim of this project is to determine whether household decisions regarding part-time work are influenced by prevailing work norms in a given country. Special attention will be devoted to differences between Western European and post-communist countries. The project will include three empirical studies, all conducted on a large sample of European countries.
In the first study, we will examine whether part-time employment in Central and Eastern European countries resembles the patterns observed in Western European countries when they were at a similar level of economic development. We will identify differences in working time between post-communist countries and Western European countries across various demographic groups.
In the second study, we will assess the importance of prevailing employment patterns for preferences for part-time work. Information on preferences will be drawn from survey data, where employees indicate their preferred number of working hours, regardless of their actual working hours. We will investigate how changes in involuntary part-time employment (e.g., caused by economic crises) affect preferences for part-time work among other individuals in the same socio-demographic group.
In the third study, we will analyse the determinants of wage penalties associated with part-time work. Part-time employees often receive lower hourly wages than full-time workers. One potential explanation for this phenomenon is the stigmatization of part-time workers, who may be perceived as less committed to their jobs. To examine the significance of this effect, we will analyse whether part-time wage penalties within specific occupational groups are higher in countries where part-time work is less popular.
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This project has received funding from the National Science Centre, Poland.
Agreement no. UMO-2024/53/B/HS4/03007
Project no. 2024/53/B/HS4/03007