Do you think I should work part-time? The role of personal preferences and societal expectations surrounding part-time work in the Netherlands - ODISSEI – Open Data Infrastructure for Social Science and Economic Innovations

LISS 2024. Authors: Simona Cicognani (Leiden University, Leiden Law School), Natalia Montinari (University of Bologna, Department of Economics).

The Netherlands has the highest rates of part-time work in Europe, with 63% of women and 23% of men working part-time. While part-time work may enhance work-life balance, it also increases the risk of poverty in retirement. This gender gap raises questions about whether it is driven by internalized societal norms around household responsibilities beyond childcare. Our study will investigate how respondents’ beliefs about what others think about part-time work in a specific scenario and respondents’ personal views about it shape these work patterns. By using hypothetical work scenarios varying the presence of children and the gender of the main character, we will elicit respondents’ perceptions of societal expectations and personal preferences. We will analyze how social norms influence labor decisions, providing insights for policy interventions to reduce gender disparities in part-time work.

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