Flexible working time arrangements and gender equality : a comparative review of 30 European countries

Abstract

Increasing the flexibility of working time is an important element of the European employment strategy (Employment Guideline 21). Enterprises should become more flexible in order to respond to sudden changes in demand, adapt to new technologies and be in a position to innovate constantly in order to remain competitive. Flexibility, however, is not only identified as an important ingredient in the quest for competitiveness by employers. Also on the supply side, contemporary employees demand non-full-time working hours and/or flexible working time schedules in order to suit their preferred lifestyles and to reconcile work and family life. However, employer-friendly and employee-friendly flexibility do not necessarily converge, creating new tensions between employers and employees and between men and women. This report provides an overview on flexible working time arrangements and gender equality in the 27 EU Member States and the three EEA–EFTA countries. The focus is on internal quantitative flexibility. On the one hand, this refers to flexibility in the length of working time, such as part-time work, overtime work and long hours and, on the other hand, to flexible organisation of working time, such as flexible working time schedules, homeworking and work at atypical hours. [excerpt]