Getting out or switching to part‐time: Gender disparities in the impacts of corporate restructuring

Abstract

This article looks at gender disparities during large‐scale corporate restructuring. Whereas the literature focuses on discrimination in top‐down processes, we analyze why employee self‐selection still yields gender inequalities. Based on the personnel files of an airline company and 55 in‐depth interviews, results show that men were more likely to opt out and less likely to shift to subsidized part‐time. While women work part‐time mostly to improve their work‐life balance, men appear to be more sensitive to financial incentives and more prepared to retrain due to side activities. This suggests that restructuring amplifies existing vulnerabilities of women on the labor market, even in case of voluntary redundancy plans.