Choosing to Work Part-Time – Combinations of Motives and the Role of Preferences and Constraints

This article aims to contribute to the understanding of motives for part-time work and discuss the role of preferences and constraints by studying combinations of motives for part-time work in a case where the scope for preferences is great. The data was derived from a survey of full-time employees in a Swedish municipality who have opted to work part-time with lower salary. Eight groups of part-time workers with different combinations of motives were identified using cluster analysis. Although formally all of these employees were voluntarily working part-time, to a greater or lesser extent the preference for part-time can be understood as an accommodation to constraints for all of the eight clusters. Even though the motives were complex, for many, part-time work was a strategy to cope with a high workload in relation to their own health and capacity.