13 points that show how we think about part-time work

There is a stark contrast between how much we work and how much we should be working. And: The potential of digitization is not recognized and part-time work has a female connotation. These are the main findings of the “part-time study” published today by the Sotomo research institute in collaboration with a gender equality initiative (see infobox), which surveyed more than 2,000 Swiss people between November 24 and December 12, 2022. .

Let’s start with the big contradiction: while 56 percent of Swiss people think we should actually be working more because of an aging society and the shortage of skilled workers, 68 percent of those surveyed think that we generally work too much in Switzerland.

It is also striking that women tend to think that we all work too much. According to the study’s authors, this shows that women are increasingly prioritizing their daily access to paid work (“We work too much in Switzerland”). For men, on the other hand, the economic perspective weighs more heavily (“We should work more to ensure prosperity”).

The general attitude towards paid work strongly depends on the political orientation. People who are closer to left-wing parties are more likely to think that we work too much. However, this view is shared by more than half of the parties in all parties:

Only a third believe digital change will take away our jobs. Only four percent clearly share this view. Digitization is also associated with stress and pressure to perform in other studies:

Suppose you were financially secure. What percentage would you still work? In Switzerland we average 59 percent. Young men prefer to work a little more. For all groups of people, however, the workload is around three days a week:

Skilled labor shortages have worsened in recent months. For about half, it is clear who should solve this: childless people who work part-time. Only then will mothers and fathers who have (temporarily) retired follow. Only about a third believe that part-time working mothers should work more:

One of the reasons why the workload of part-time working mothers is the least questioned is that part-time work in Switzerland is particularly strongly associated with being a mother. 68 percent of adults in Switzerland associate part-time work with mothers. That is more than twice as many as ‘People with many interests’, who follow in second place. Only 19 percent associate fathers with part-time work:

The question of the best labor model also shows that mothers are more often seen in the part-time model. While an 80 percent workload is considered ideal for childless couples, the gender gap widens when it comes to children. Women believe that a mother with young children should work 50 percent, father 80 percent. For men, the answers are practically the same at 45 and 80 percent:

From the ideal employment models to the models that are actually lived. Among all working respondents living in family or couple households, the average employment rate is 89 percent for men and 65 percent for women. The difference is almost exclusively due to couples with children. There, women work significantly less on average:

While the labor force participation of women and men in couple households without children differs only slightly, the imbalance in the contribution to household income is slightly larger. Men in households without children contribute an average of 55 percent to the family income, women 45 percent.

This difference, of course, becomes significantly greater when children are involved. Then men contribute about 70 percent of the income. The ditch that opens in the child phase never closes again.

It’s interesting to see who has to justify their workload. In principle, only one in four people without children has to justify their workload, while workers with children have to do this much more often:

It is striking that mothers clearly have to justify themselves the most if they continue to work (almost) fully or work very little. Fathers will have to answer much more often if they do not work more than 90 percent. And almost always when they buy less than the “typical Papitag”:

The reasons for working part-time vary. Most just want more free time. For women, this is followed by housework and time with the kids. For men, further training is the second most common reason, followed by work pressure. Only then “spending time with the kids” and “housework” are the reasons for part-time work:

Various measures to promote labor participation are currently being discussed in the public and political arena. The compatibility of family and career needs to be improved. One approach is that children from three months are legally guaranteed a place in childcare. 58 percent of respondents support this approach. For women, that is even 68 percent.

Another approach is the “herd premium”. Parents should be financially compensated if they take care of their children themselves. This shows that measures that make it more attractive for parents not to work are also very popular.

Short: A clear majority of the Swiss are in favor of supporting families as fully as possible – regardless of the employment model.

The daycare should not be free, the parents must bear the bulk of the costs. On average, respondents indicate that the state should bear 36 percent of the costs. Women and young people would prefer to see a larger share of the state’s costs. Respondents from left-wing parties and people with lower incomes are also more in favor of state aid: