TemaNord 2014:560 TemaNord Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen K www.norden.org Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region II A research review on important reasons Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region II Gender equality in the labour market is a key topic in the Nordic cooperation on gender equality. The Nordic Council of Ministers has asked NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, to coordinate the project Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region. The aim of the project is to shed light on and analyse part-time work in the Nordic region, develop reports and arrange conferences. During the Icelandic presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2014, the project followed up the earlier study Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region: Part-time work, gender and economic distribution in the Nordic countries. This second report is a research overview on the arguments used to explain the relation between part-time work and gender in the Nordic countries. Further, the report describe relevant measures taken by different actors in the labour market and the political sphere in order to reduce foremost women´s part-time work. The researchers Ida Drange and Cathrine Egeland wrote the report on a request by NIKK. TemaNord 2014:560 ISBN 978-92-893-3847-9 (PRINT) ISBN 978-92-893-3849-3 (PDF) ISBN 978-92-893-3848-6 (EPUB) ISSN 0908-6692 TN2014560 omslag.indd 1 05-11-2014 13:36:28 Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region II A research review on important reasons Ida Drange and Cathrine Egeland TemaNord 2014:560 Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region II A research review on important reasons Ida Drange and Cathrine Egeland ISBN 978-92-893-3847-9 (PRINT) ISBN 978-92-893-3849-3 (PDF) ISBN 978-92-893-3848-6 (EPUB) http://dx.doi.org/10.6027/TN2014-560 TemaNord 2014:560 ISSN 0908-6692 © Nordic Council of Ministers 2014 Layout: Hanne Lebech Cover photo: NIKK (Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, Göteborg University) Print: Rosendahls-Schultz Grafisk Copies: 400 Printed in Denmark This publication has been published with financial support by the Nordic Council of Ministers. However, the contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views, policies or recom- mendations of the Nordic Council of Ministers. www.norden.org/en/publications Nordic co-operation Nordic co-operation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involv- ing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland. Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an im- portant role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe. Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Common Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive. Nordic Council of Ministers Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen K Phone (+45) 3396 0200 www.norden.org Content Preface ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 About the authors ................................................................................................................................... 8 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 9 1.1 Background and motivation ................................................................................................ 9 1.2 Point of departure and approach....................................................................................12 1.3 The Nordic countries ............................................................................................................13 2. Descriptive statistics and developments in part-time employment ............................15 2.1 Labour market participation rates and average weekly working hours in full-time and part-time positions .................................................................15 3. Literature, methods and delimitations ......................................................................................23 4. Part-time employment and the organisation of work and labour markets .............27 4.1 Part-time work and underemployment ......................................................................27 4.2 Part-time employment and the organisation of work ..........................................28 4.3 Demand-side explanations for part-time employment .......................................32 4.4 Supply-side explanations: worker preferences for part-time employment ..............................................................................................................................35 4.5 A part-time culture? ..............................................................................................................37 4.6 The implications of regulations and labour laws for part-time employment ..............................................................................................................................40 4.7 Part-time work, a typical form of employment? .....................................................42 4.8 Summary ....................................................................................................................................43 5. Part-time work and health ...............................................................................................................47 5.1 Part-time employment as health protection .............................................................48 5.2 Part time as a coping strategy ..........................................................................................49 6. Part-time work and family ...............................................................................................................51 6.1 Demand-side explanations and considerations for the family .........................51 6.2 Supply-side explanations and family considerations ...........................................53 6.3 Explanations referring to culture, values, norms and discourses ..................55 6.4 Explanations referring to family politics and policies ..........................................57 7. Work and family policy in the Nordic countries ....................................................................59 7.1 Denmark .....................................................................................................................................60 7.2 Finland .........................................................................................................................................62 7.3 Iceland .........................................................................................................................................64 7.4 Norway ........................................................................................................................................66 7.5 Sweden ........................................................................................................................................68 8. The effect of family policies in relation to women’s part-time work – a discussion .................................................................................................................................................71 9. Part time in the Nordic countries – similar but different contexts...............................75 9.1 Summary of important discursive features in the debates on women’s part-time work ....................................................................................................79 10. Concluding summary, reflections and recommendations ............................................... 81 10.1 International research and experiences ..................................................................... 82 10.2 Empirical bias? ........................................................................................................................ 83 10.3 The consequences of the economic situation .......................................................... 84 10.4 A full-time norm and its consequences....................................................................... 84 11. Literature ................................................................................................................................................. 87 11.1 Literature on labour markets and work conditions ............................................. 91 11.2 Literature on part time work and health ................................................................... 92 11.3 Literature on part time work and family ................................................................... 93 12. Part-time work in Icelandic society ............................................................................................ 97 13. A mapping and description of recent actions and regulations pertaining to part-time work in Finland ............................................................................................................. 105 14. The Danish debate on part-time work ................................................................................... 119 15. A mapping of actions and regulations pertaining to part-time work in Sweden 2009–2014 .........................................................................................................................