Factors contributing to women’s reluctance to work part-time

Paulina Śmiałek-Liszczyńska , Grzegorz Wojtkowiak

Abstract

Purpose:The aim of this article is to show what factors contribute to women’s reluctance to 9work part-time and to what extent.Part-time employment is a characteristic feature of the labour 10market in many Western European countries. In Poland, this form of employment is much less 11popular, also among women whom it mainly concerns, even though from the employer’s point 12of view part-time employment along with other forms of flexible work could result in a greater 13flexibility of an organization.14Design/methodology/approach: Based on the analysis of the source literature, other research 15and the authors own studies among women (conducted with the use of questionnaires from 71 16female respondents), the text explores why this form of employment is not popular in Poland.17Findings: The results of the analysis point to unsatisfactory levels of income as the main 18reason; however, the income factor was not the only disadvantage of part-time employment 19identified by the respondents.20Research limitations/implications: Due to the size of the research sample, the results cannot 21be generalized for the whole population. This study provides a basis for further research.22Practical implications:The results constitute an important contribution to this debate, both in 23terms of the state economy and decisions taken by entrepreneurs themselves related to part-24time employment.In the light of the current problems with recruiting qualified employees, 25learning more about their concerns and factors that have an impact on their decisions may help 26employers be more effective in taking action.27Originality/value:The authors’ contribution in this paper is to provide empirical insights into 28factors contributing to reluctance to work part-time. This paper corrects an identified lack of 29research into thesefactors in Poland.