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How does working time flexibility affect gender-specific work intentions?

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The European Social Model under Pressure

Abstract

In this chapter, I present findings from a conjoint experiment conducted in Switzerland and aimed at investigating the elasticity in the within-household division of paid and care work given varying policy contexts. Whereas in my previous research I have analysed similar questions mostly with respect to the role of family policies, in the present contribution I move a step closer to Klaus Armingeon’s research in what concerns the explanatory variable, namely the labour market. Thus, I ask how flexible work arrangements affect the genderspecific allocation of time on paid work and care work. The results indicate that women spend more time on the labour market and less on care work under flexible work conditions. However, this does not apply for women with traditional childcare preferences. Moreover, men only partly agree on women’s stronger labour market involvement. Finally, men with non-traditional childcare preferences indicate that they would invest half a day more in childcare duties if flexibility in working time and working place were available – without however reducing their labour market involvement. Overall, the findings illustrate that intended behaviour is very much embedded in dominant gender roles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen

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  1. Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen
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Correspondence to Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Romana Careja

  2. Department of Political Science, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Patrick Emmenegger

  3. Department of Political Science, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    Nathalie Giger

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Stadelmann-Steffen, I. (2020). How does working time flexibility affect gender-specific work intentions?. In: Careja, R., Emmenegger, P., Giger, N. (eds) The European Social Model under Pressure. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-27043-8_17

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