Caring for relatives is one of the main reasons why employees in Germany only work part-time. More than three million Germans look after their relatives outside of work.
Around one in four part-time employees work reduced hours to look after relatives. 24 percent of the approximately 12.6 million part-time employees in Germany look after children, people with disabilities or people in need of care, as the Federal Statistical Office announced today.
Women in particular often take on this role: 29 percent cited caring for relatives as the reason for their part-time work. For men it was seven percent. More than two thirds (68 percent) of employees who worked part-time to care for relatives wanted to do this themselves.
“The availability or cost of care options played a comparatively minor role in the decision,” said the statisticians. Just nine percent said that there was no suitable care available at the times of day they needed, four percent were unable to pay for it and two percent could not find a suitable offer nearby.
Part-time at my own request
In addition to caring for relatives, other factors also play a role in working part-time: More than a quarter of those surveyed stated that they worked part-time out of their own desire. For twelve percent, the reason was training and further education measures. Only six percent of those working part-time would like to work full-time, but were unable to find a suitable position on the labor market.
According to a study by the employer-related German Economic Institute, around 13 percent of all managers work part-time. There is also a clear gender difference here: 25 percent of female managers work part-time, while among men it is just 5.5 percent.