Part-time work: Other countries have it, why don't we?

Judith Warner's guest Op-Ed in today's New York Times is worth a read if you're interested in the option to work part-time while raising a family.  Many of us want it (according to recent research, 60% of us!), but few of us have it.  As she so plainly states: It doesn't have to be this way!  We couldn't agree more.  Please share your experiences and opinions about part-time work with us - as well as your take on Ms. Warner's piece, The Full-Time Blues.  You can read the piece here if you're a NYT subscriber and here if you're not. 

Comments

[Sara]

I work part-time, and I feel like it's a perfect situation for me and my family emotionally - a great balance of work and family life for me, which makes me happier and more fulfilled in both parts of my life. Unfortunately, it's a disaster due to the healthcare and financial problem.

(A side note: I also work in the nonprofit sector, and I'm noticing a strong and disturbing trend in the nonprofit world. It's shifting from poorly-paid 60-hour-week fulltime jobs for young people into part-time poorly-paid un-benefited jobs for women who have small children and who have husbands with lucrative, benefited jobs. I'm glad these wonderful, meaningful jobs are available for moms, but I think nonprofit employers are starting to count on this demographic, and that excludes people who need fulltime work.)

I think we need to start, as the article said, with universal healthcare and universal childcare. That's the only way we're going to get anywhere in making sure that people who want decent part-time work can get it.

[olivia]

I have been a mama for almost 7 years now and have worked full-time through it. I have toyed with the idea of part-time work, but I have settled on working full-time, now with a pretty flexible very family-friendly nonprofit organization. I think this will be a great fit.

What I disliked about working full-time is how I was made to feel like I was asking for a "favor" when I requested flex-time. I would work usually from 7am to 4pm, to allow time in the afternoon to pick up my girls with still some time to catch up and have a little quality time. I think workplaces need to get on the bandwagon and be fully supportive of coming up with alternative work schedules, if the work allows.

When I considered switching to PT, I was really concerned about working PT hours but working FT volumes. Does anyone who works PT experience this?

[hau]

I work full-time, but I do consider often the possibility of working part-time. In an ideal world, I would love to work 30 hours or less and make the same amount of pay with benefits. Is this totally unheard of?

I feel fortunate in that I've had really good managers who allow for and understand flexibility. Flex-time is a hard concept especially for public agencies that measure performance by face time rather than results.

[LeeAnn]

I went from full-time to 4/5 time after my daughter was born, and earlier this year instead of dialing back up to FT I ratcheted back even further to 3/5 time. My family suffers the consequences financially -- not least because my husband and I are both career nonprofit people who have never made much money; we've taken quite the hit now -- but it was a worthwhile change because I was tired of feeling torn between both work and home. Others have been able to juggle fulltime commitments successfully, but not this tired mama. I've been very lucky in that my bosses valued me enough to say "yes" to the 3/5 time arrangement.

Having said that, I've noticed more or less the same disheartening trend as Sara. Actually, I think the nonprofit sector generally has become the "pink ghetto" - the only people who can afford to take these jobs these days are either fools like me, who can't conceive of doing anything else, or individuals (usually women) who are subsidized by partners w/ much more lucrative careers.

Ok, now I'm really bummed.

[LeeAnn]

Oops, to answer Olivia's question: You have to be REALLY DILIGENT about saying "no" to more work than your PT schedule allows. REALLY DILIGENT. It's tricky.

[Kristin]

I love the notion of working part-time. I also share the concern with the nonprofit world -- if moms aren't involved in the types of issues that nonprofits address, how are we ever going to really have our voices heard in issues that affect so many families?

My concern with part-time work, however, is that we're going to create a special track just for mothers, while the fathers end up with the career boosting full-time jobs. How about changing the amount both parents work, so that we both work 30 or so hours a week. I know, I know -- "you say you want a revolution, well, you know...."

[LeeAnn]

Kristin, please run for president! The 30-hour work week for all platform gets my vote.

[Tracy]

First, thanks for posting the activistas summaries. I don't always think to look here and you often have good threads.

I went part time (2 days/20 hours) after my son was born three years ago and loved it. I stayed part time after the second was born a year ago until this past fall when my husband was out of work and it fell to me to work full time. I am just this week back to part time but very part time in a position that will be on-call and therefore I will only work as needed/desired. Yes, I can do this because my husband subsidizes it as LeeAnn says. I couldn't be more grateful that we can do this. My job is on a 24 hour team which has allowed for weekend and evening shifts, which made all of it possible with little of the money I was making going to child care. It was at the expense of working opposite hours and therefore little time together, but our priority was to have one of us with the little guys, so it was worth it. At the beginning, I worked out of financial necessity and if I hadn't been able to do it on the schedule I had, I would have had to work more to bring in the same dollars after factoring in child care. I think that's a huge factor in determining if two working parents makes sense, outside of the personal fulfillment issue. In any case, I love the option to work part-time because, frankly, I'm a better wife and mother when I'm not working full-time. I really didn't enjoy it. I missed the time away from my boys and struggled to keep the household details together, despite the fact that dad was home. Having that be the case made it easier, but still not fun. We spent a brief period of time with both of us working full time and that was a drag. I don't know how people do it long term. When do you do laundry!?

In summary, I have to say I think it's a bit of a luxury to be able to work part-time. Don't know that it should be that way, but I think it really is. You have to be able to get benefits from somewhere else, because part time isn't going to offer it, and, yes, you have to be able to keep your hours/work load part time. I know I had great support from my employer to do this, and was just very clear about my limitations. That was hard to do coming from a person who was fully committed to career before kids. Working part time for me meant it was pretty obvious that my work was not my priority and I would give 100% while there, but then I went home. I don't do much extra these days. I also know that it won't always be this way and am grateful to be in a field I can move in and out of.

From my husband, while he was job hunting, he was amazed at how positive people were when he told them he'd been staying home with the boys. Seemed to be a great way to cover a resume gap. Perhaps more dads should try it?

[AmyS]

I feel I have the best of both worlds -- I work 60% (24hrs/week) and because I am a librarian in a public library I have some evening and weekend hours so our 2 kids are in daycare just one day and with daddy the rest of the time I am working. I get to have a stimulating job where I get to talk to grown-ups, the kids and dad get time alone, and the kids get time with other kids and caregivers that they really enjoy. I'm fortunate that at 60% I get benefits and retirement. Sure I miss out on activities that happen when I am working, I don't get as much whole-family time as I would like (we'd both have to quit our jobs for that to happen) and I don't always get the best assignments at work because I'm not there enough but since I honestly can't imagine working full-time or not working at all, I should never complain!

[SuzanneLynn]

Sadly I am not in the position to work half time although I desperately wish I could. My husband has a significantly lower salary so he is going to try slightly over half time this year and be home with our 1 year old. I am really worried as to how this will play out. The daycare is still really, really expensive and we will be earning less. And of course we will be cutting out those little luxuries to save a bit here and there, but ultimately that won't add up to much. And it frustrates me to have to struggle to figure out how I will still be able to afford to buy my daughter organic foods. I would really appreciate hearing about how some families have dealt with the income blow (when you weren't living high on the hog in the first place) after making the decision to go half time to be the ones to raise your own child. Thanks

[Tracy]

SuzanneLynn- In terms of budgets, cutting back to half time or to only one income isn't only about a loss in income when it comes down to it. You save money in some areas, like lower taxes, less on gas, no lunches out, fewer lattes (which I only seem to drink when I'm at work!), less on groceries when you have more time to cook, little things like that. I know people who have gotten a financial advisor/tax person to review their situation and offer guidance in this area if you have someone already in place they might be a good person to talk to. As you're deciding how to do it, consider some of this. Some of the "luxuries" you think of may not seem so important when you have more time at home for the adults. Things like eating out because you're too tired to cook doesn't happen as often, that kind of thing. Child care does have a big hit, so anything you can do to lower that charge helps. I don't know your situation, but some places make you pay for a full time slot even if you're not using it, so someone coming to your home may cost less if you're only paying for hours you use even though the hourly rate might be higher. If it's possible to work alternate hours it makes a huge difference and maybe changing to a job that allows this would make a better financial move. It can take some creativity, but it's totally worth it if you want to do it. I have to admit I'm biased in that area. It can be a drag to be tight financially, but it really is temporary. I just keep telling myself that! Good luck to you.

[Sarah]

As a nurse, I've been able to try different schedules/positions since becoming a mama a few years ago. I have worked as many as 36 hours/week when I had one child (gradually increasing hours since her birth). Now that I have another child, I work 24 hours/week. Maybe I'll add more hours when it feels right because I certainly need the money. I can't afford to work part-time but I'm willing to sacrifice and remain in debt a while longer to have this time with my kids while they are young. I'm also fortunate to have benefits (they start at 24 hours/week). Anytime that I start to feel like I'm having a bad day or I hate my job, I just remember how lucky I am to have so many options. I work off hours and long shifts so our kids only go to daycare for about 6 hours, 2 days/week. My husband works early in the morning and I work in the afternoons/evenings and sometimes weekends. I can pick up extra hours when we have financial emergencies (too often). Our plan is to try to be financially stable enough for me to work very part-time when the kids are middle school age. It seems like lots of parents increase their work hours around that age but I feel that those years are just as important to have parents very available. I don't get to keep much money after paying for daycare BUT I'm also a better person because I work. I value all of my time with my kids (it's true what they say about absence making the heart grow fonder). I'm saving for retirement (a little), working my brain and maintaining my professional skills. I wouldn't make a good full-time SAHM so I do realize that I really do have the best of both worlds.

[rebecca]

For me, working part time has been critical. I wanted and needed to keep working after having a baby - I love my job and we need the income - but I also wanted more time to be a mom. I think the key word is balance - I've read studies that show that people who feel they have balance in their lives are the most fulfilled, and being able to work and spend enough time with my child are part of the balance I need.

I am fortunate enough to have an employer who has "accomodated" me by allowing me to work 75% time. My employer has over 200 employees and did not allow part time work until several of us got pregnant at the same time and organized ourselves and made a presentation to the executives. A couple women actually had to quit before the execs "got it" and became more flexible.

What I like about working is the focus on work that I enjoy and think is important to society, the social aspects, the ability to run errands at lunchtime (I never have to schlep my daughter to Target), and having benefits like a retirement contribution and paid time off. I cherish my "stay at home" time though it is admittedly not enough, and I fear will especially not be enough when I have another child.

My one concern career-wise is that I think it is harder for me at part-time to "climb the ladder". I don't know if I will be considered for promotions, etc in the same way I would be if I was full time. I'd be interested to hear if others have that feeling.

[Tracy]

I think the part-time factor does play into whether or not you climb the ladder. Logically, it has to. Most business leaders would want someone who is more available to be the one taking on more responsibility, so they can either take advantage of that or rely on it I suppose is up in the air. As I mentioned in my previous post, my commitment to work certainly changed after my kids were born. I love my job. I'm good at it. I give it all that I can. But the reality is, I'm not as available as someone else. I can work certain hours and not others because I don't always have childcare. I leave when my kids are sick. They constantly have to wonder if I'll have another child and be gone for months at a time. It just stands to reason that if my boss is handing out tasks, he/she is going to factor all of that in to who does what. It's been really difficult to see this play out, especially at first when I saw coworkers taking on what used to be my responsibilities. But now when I'm passed over for more responsibility I'm actually relieved because I really don't want more at this point. I feel like I've made a conscious decision to do the "opt out" thing in order to be with my family. It has financial and professional impacts, certainly, but it's all by choice. I can pay my bills and give a little back. I have time in the future to do more. Just not right now. I think sometimes that is what makes the "motherhood movement" so difficult (see above topic) because there are people who would say I'm part of the problem by accepting this as fact.