Part-Time Work in Sweden: Trends and Equality Effects
Along with the steep rise in female labor force participation rates over the past two decades, part-time employment has increased among women in most Western countries.' In the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries, part-time work often implies low pay, lack of social benefits and poor chances of increasing hours to full time. Many critics argue, therefore, that part-time work is a "trap" leading to women's marginalization in the labor market [Hurstfield 1978; Beechey and Perkins 1987]. Supporters, however, maintain that it provides an important work and earnings opportunity for those women for whom full-time work is not possible [Kahne 1985; Moen 1989]. Is it inevitable that part-time work lead to the negative outcome of marginalization? Using Sweden as a test case, I argue that part-time work has not marginalized women but, on the contrary, has increased the continuity of their labor force attachment, strengthened their position in the labor market, and reduced their economic dependency. Sweden is an interesting case because it has a high female labor force participation rate and has long had a high proportion of part-time women workers who work relatively long hours, have job security and full social benefits and are highly unionized. Sweden may seem anomalous, but the fact is that with the increase in female labor force participation and part-time work, similar policies are currently being