Unequal distribution of working time between parents
Published: 21 May 2008
Working times of parents leave little room for balancing work and family life. A particular problem in this regard is the long working week of fathers who work full time. These are the findings of a study on the working times of parents (Jenseits von Zeitnot und Karriereverzicht – Wege aus dem Arbeitszeitdilemma (877Kb PDF) [1]) by Christina Klenner and Svenja Pfahl from the Institute of Economic and Social Research (Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut, WSI [2]) within the Hans Böckler Foundation (Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, HBS [3]). The study is based on an analysis of data from the 2003 and 2005 German micro census, as well as on original quantitative and qualitative research.[1] http://www.boeckler.de/pdf/p_wsi_diskp_158.pdf[2] http://www.boeckler.de/cps/rde/xchg/hbs/hs.xsl/8.html[3] http://www.boeckler.de/
The long working hours of fathers who work full time are a particular problem for parents when it comes to balancing work and family life, according to a study by the Institute of Economic and Social Research. The study’s findings also reveal a strong polarisation between the working times of working fathers and mothers. A majority of parents would welcome shorter working times to be able to balance work and childcare responsibilities more efficiently.
About the study
Working times of parents leave little room for balancing work and family life. A particular problem in this regard is the long working week of fathers who work full time. These are the findings of a study on the working times of parents (Jenseits von Zeitnot und Karriereverzicht – Wege aus dem Arbeitszeitdilemma (877Kb PDF)) by Christina Klenner and Svenja Pfahl from the Institute of Economic and Social Research (Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut, WSI) within the Hans Böckler Foundation (Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, HBS). The study is based on an analysis of data from the 2003 and 2005 German micro census, as well as on original quantitative and qualitative research.
Main findings
Almost 37% of all workers in employment are parents of at least one child under the age of 18 years in their household (Table 1).
| Status group | Mothers | Fathers | All parents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue-collar workers | 39.0 | 39.6 | 39.4 |
| White-collar workers | 34.8 | 36.8 | 35.7 |
| Public civil servants | 35.8 | 36.9 | 36.5 |
| All employees | 35.8 | 38.0 | 36.9 |
Source: Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt, destatis), Micro census 2005; special analysis for WSI
Distribution of working times between parents
On average, mothers in paid employment usually work 24.4 hours a week, compared with 39.7 hours worked by employed fathers. This finding reflects the prevalence of the traditional gender division in German households which is based on the male breadwinner model – fathers usually work full time while mothers take up part-time jobs. A closer look at the data also reveals that fathers work on average 1.2 hours more a week than men without children. However, this effect is reversed for women: mothers work on average 7.6 hours less a week than women without children (Table 2).
| Status group | Men without children | Men with children | Women without children | Women with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue-collar workers | 37.2 | 38.5 | 27.1 | 21.4 |
| White-collar workers | 38.9 | 40.6 | 33.0 | 25.1 |
| Public civil servants | 41.1 | 41.2 | 37.1 | 29.0 |
| All employees | 38.5 | 39.7 | 32.0 | 24.4 |
Note: * At least one child under the age of 18 years in the household.
Source: destatis, Micro census 2005; special analysis for WSI
Nevertheless, significant differences in working times of workers with and without children exist between eastern and western Germany (Table 3).
| Status group | Men without children | Men with children | Women without children | Women with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Germany | 38.3 | 39.3 | 34.2 | 32.8 |
| Western Germany | 38.4 | 39.8 | 31.5 | 22.6 |
Note: * At least one child under the age of 18 years in the household.
Source: destatis, Micro census 2005; special analysis for WSI
The polarisation of working times between working fathers and mothers is significantly less marked in eastern Germany. While mothers in paid employment work on average only 22.6 hours a week in western Germany, they work 32.8 hours a week in eastern Germany – a difference of 10.2 hours a week. When looking at the gender gap in terms of working time, it is only 6.5 hours a week for working parents in eastern Germany, compared with more than 17 hours a week in western Germany.
Working time preferences of parents
The study also looked at survey data to find out which type of working time parents would prefer if they were able to choose. About 75% of men and 53% of women in paid employment with children would wish to reduce their weekly working hours; in particular, women who are in full-time employment would wish to reduce their working time. On average, women with children would like to work 26 hours a week, while fathers would prefer a 37-hour working week. However, 43% of women in part-time employment with children expressed a preference for an extension of their weekly working time. This request is more prominent among those mothers who are in so-called marginal part-time employment characterised by few weekly working hours (up to 15 hours), with almost three quarters (72%) wishing to have more working hours. Therefore, it can be concluded that parents in Germany would prefer working hours ranging from part-time employment with comparatively long weekly working hours to a moderate full-time working week.
Heiner Dribbusch, Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI)
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2008), Unequal distribution of working time between parents, article.
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