More than three quarters of part-time employees are women, reveals a study by the Ministry of Labor

A note from the ministry's studies department (Dares), published on Wednesday, specifies that women “more often mention the need to take care of children or loved ones.”

“Regardless of age, part-time work is less common among men than among women.” This is the finding of a note from the studies department of the Ministry of Labor (Dares), published Wednesday December 11, which specifies that women “mention more often the need to take care of children or loved ones”. The figures speak for themselves: part-time employees in France, who represent 17.4% of the total, are 77% women, while young people and seniors are also over-represented, according to this study.

“Men more often use part-time work when they are young, while conversely, women use it more often after age 55,” also points out the study, carried out on the basis of the 2023 INSEE employment survey, itself carried out among around 200,000 people. Young people, both women and men, are resorting more to part-time work to pursue studies or training.

Young part-time employees work on average just over 18 hours per week, less than seniors (around 20.5 hours) and middle-aged people (nearly 25 hours). The majority (57.3%) of part-time people work less than five days, while more than a third (35.3%) spread their working hours over five days and 7.3% over six or seven days. Nearly a third of part-time employees (31.2%) work less than 24 hours per week, spread over less than five days. There are more than average on fixed-term or temporary contracts, young or senior.