The modern working world is subject to constant change, which also has an impact on working time models. The proportion of people working part-time in Germany has risen continuously in recent years. At 39.1%, the part-time employment rate in Germany reached an all-time high in the third quarter of 2023¹. Notably, the proportion of women working part-time is more than four times higher than that of men². A Forsa survey from January 2023³ shows that the reasons for working part-time differ between men and women: While two-thirds of women who work part-time make this decision in favor of a better work-family balance, only 38% of men surveyed reduce their working hours for this reason. 42% of men state that the most important reason for reducing their working hours is to invest more time in hobbies and other projects. Only 22% of the women surveyed allow themselves this “luxury”.

 

While part-time work is intended to support work-life balance and thereby promote diversity, inclusion, and gender equality within organizations, it can also hinder employees' professional development. Current research suggests that part-time employment may conflict with the fulfillment of career ambitions. Professionals working part-time have less access to career development opportunities than full-time employees^4,5. Explanations include normative beliefs and institutional norms.  

A common explanation for the limited career development of part-time employees is based on stereotypical perceptions. According to these assumptions, reduced working hours are associated with lower career ambitions⁶, less commitment to work and career⁴, and a more “domestic” orientation⁷. These normative ideas about part-time workers persist despite evidence to the contrary^4,5,8,9.

Furthermore, a study conducted in the Netherlands¹⁰ shows that part-time employees are mistakenly considered to have lower career ambitions due to certain institutional norms, which in turn can affect the professional development opportunities of part-time employees. These norms include physical presence at the workplace, a minimum number of working hours, and full-time employment at an early stage. Such institutional norms are often a prerequisite for development opportunities within a company, but they usually contradict part-time employment.

Which characteristics are instead associated with professional ambition? Career ambition is primarily associated with younger age, male gender, and full-time work. This corresponds to a traditional male breadwinner model and poses major challenges for part-time employees in general, but especially for female employees who postpone their career ambitions to a later stage in life due to care work. Consequently, women working part-time face substantial obstacles in realizing their career ambitions, as their behavior contrasts with stereotypes in multiple ways.

 

So, what is the role of institutional norms, which seem to play a crucial role in shaping the career paths of part-time workers?

In many cases, these norms are embedded in organizational structures and can thus lead to disadvantages for part-time employees. Both supervisors and employees tend to infer career ambitions from the number of working hours, thereby reproducing and reinforcing these institutionalized norms¹⁰. On the other hand, actors within the organization can change the prevailing pattern by presenting guiding principles and positive counterexamples. Therefore, the focus is on how actors in organizations deal with these institutional norms and thereby influence the implementation of the career ambitions of part-time workers.

A change in institutional norms within companies can, for example, be observed in the Netherlands. The Dutch service sector is gradually developing alternative time structures. These enable career development later in life, for example through more extensive part-time jobs with flexible working hours. In the healthcare sector, the dominance of part-time employees has reduced the number of working hours per week required for professional development and promotion to managerial positions. In the private financial service sector, the use of electronic communication has increased the demand for remote work and changed institutionalized norms about physical attendance at work¹⁰.

Institutionalized norms in organizations can therefore change as organizations adapt to societal demands and internal pressure. Even "small actions" by organizational members (e.g., when a supervisor recognizes the ability of part-time employees to fulfill a supervisory role) have the potential to contribute to the emergence of alternative time structures.

 

The results of the Dutch study¹⁰ show that career ambitions cannot be equated with professional commitment at a specific point in time (such as full-time employment early in life), physical presence, or taking on additional tasks. Reduced working hours should not be interpreted as indicating less commitment to work or a lack of interest in long-term professional development.

In Germany, where the proportion of part-time employees is steadily increasing, it is therefore crucial to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with this form of work. It is time for employers and decision-makers to engage more deeply with institutional norms to create a fair and supportive work environment for all employees.

At FLD, we support companies with our Gender Check in identifying these limiting norms and implementing gender-fair processes and structures that are essential for ensuring career development for part-time employees, regardless of gender.

 

SOURCES

¹ https://iab.de/presseinfo/iab-arbeitszeitrechnung-drittes-quartal-2023/

² https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1098738/umfrage/anteil-der-teilzeitbeschaeftigung-in-den-eu-laendern/

³ https://www.new-work.se/de/newsroom/pressemitteilungen/2023-forsa-studie-zum-weltfrauentag

⁴ Tomlinson, J. (2006). Part-Time Occupational Mobility in the Service Industries: Regulation, Work Commitment and Occupational Closure. The Sociological Review, 54(1), 66-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2006.00602.x

⁵ Durbin, S., & Tomlinson, J. (2010). Female part-time managers: networks and career mobility. Work, Employment and Society, 24(4), 621-640. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017010380631

⁶ Pas, B., Peters, P., Eisinga, R., Doorewaard, H., & Lagro-Janssen, T. (2011). Explaining career motivation among female doctors in the Netherlands: the effects of children, views on motherhood and work-home cultures. Work, Employment and Society, 25(3), 487-505. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017011407973

⁷ Walsh, J. (1999). Myths and Counter-Myths: An Analysis of Part-Time Female Employees and Their Orientations to Work and Working Hours. Work, Employment and Society, 13(2), 179-203. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500179922117908

⁸ MacDermid, S. M., Dean Lee, M., Buck, M., & Williams, M. L. (2001). Alternative work arrangements among professionals and managers: Rethinking career development and success. Journal of Management Development, 20(4), 305-317. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710110388965

⁹ Lane, N. (2004). Women and part‐time work: the careers of part‐time NHS nurses. British Journal of Management, 15(3), 259-272. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2004.00418.x

¹⁰ Bleijenbergh, I., Gremmen, I., & Peters, P. (2016). Timing ambition: How organisational actors engage with the institutionalised norms that affect the career development of part-time workers. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 32(4), 179-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2016.08.004