"In der aktuellen Debatte um eine verbesserte Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf geht es zunehmend auch um kürzere Arbeitszeiten von Vätern. Trotz eines leichten Anstiegs teilzeitarbeitender Männer in den letzten Jahren hat sich die sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung bislang vornehmlich mit Teilzeitarbeit von Frauen beschäftigt. Erkenntnisse darüber, unter welchen Bedingungen Männer, insbesondere Väter, Teilzeit arbeiten, gibt es kaum. Unsere Studie will zur Schließung dieser Forschungslücke mittels einer Analyse von Individualdaten der Europäischen Arbeitskräfteerhebung (EU AKE) für Deutschland, Schweden, Irland und die Niederlande aus dem Jahr 2014 beitragen. Wir können zeigen, dass Väter, die gleiche oder geringere Verdienstmöglichkeiten als ihre Partnerinnen haben, in keinem der Länder mit einer höheren Wahrscheinlichkeit Teilzeit arbeiten als Väter mit höheren Verdienstmöglichkeiten. Ungeachtet beruflicher Statusunterschiede innerhalb der Paarbeziehung arbeiten Väter mit drei oder mehr Kindern in Deutschland und Irland eher in Teilzeit; außerdem arbeiten verheiratete Väter in beiden Ländern seltener in Teilzeit als unverheiratete. Während in den Niederlanden Väter mit geringeren Verdienstmöglichkeiten als ihre Partnerinnen häufiger in Teilzeit arbeiten, wenn ein kleines Kind zu versorgen ist, arbeiten diese Väter in Irland seltener in Teilzeit." (Autorenreferat)"In the current discussions on combining work and family life, the idea of shorter working hours for fathers is becoming ever more popular. Although the proportion of part-time working men has somewhat increased in the last few years, parttime employment has been largely studied for women and mothers. Much less is known about men’s, and particularly fathers’, part-time employment. This study seeks to fill this gap by analysing part-time work among fathers in Germany, Sweden, Ireland, and the Netherlands using data from the European Labour Force Survey (LFS) from the year 2014. We show that fathers' lower earning capacity within couples is not associated with a higher probability of working part-time in any of the four countries. Irrespective of the occupational status differences within couples, fathers in Germany and Ireland with three or more children are more likely to work part-time than fathers with fewer children; moreover, in both countries, married fathers are less likely to work part-time than unmarried fathers. While fathers of small children in the Netherlands are more likely to work part-time if they have a lower occupational status than their female partners, these fathers are less likely to work part-time in Ireland." (author's abstract

PurposeAlthough essential to social welfare, unpaid domestic and care work is an increasingly scarce resource in modern societies. Despite the growing need, many households refrain from outsourcing their domestic chores to the market. Simultaneously, the household service sector is mostly characterised by low-qualification, informal jobs lacking quality and professional standards. Drawing on transaction cost theory, the present study aims to examine how trust problems deriving from the quality and professionalisation of domestic services can be overcome by also exploring the role of state subsidies in this context.Design/methodology/approachA factorial survey experiment in Germany (N = 4024) causally explores the effect of state-subsidised service vouchers, quality signals and professionalisation on preferences and willingness-to-pay for domestic services. The data were analysed using multilevel modelling techniques.FindingsHypotheses are mostly confirmed: strong quality signals help overcome trust problems, thus facilitating the demand for household services. Further, service vouchers can generate better pay for domestic workers while simultaneously reducing the costs for households.Research limitations/implicationsThe relevance of professionalisation and quality of service as important determinants of domestic service demand is revealed. However, the experimental survey design involves hypothetical scenarios.Originality/valueThe analysis offers insights into how to stimulate demand for household services and increase formal employment in a sector currently largely characterised by informal arrangements. It further shows how social policies can help secure quality and foster professionalisation by shifting paid domestic work from the informal to the formal economy.