Full-time Mothers’Part-time Work? –Exploring the Work Experiences of Female Part-time Workers in Taiwan.

On account of the different needs and concerns of the government, the labors and the employers, demands for part-time employment have grown rapidly worldwide over the decades. Different from men who care more for career, women tend to devote themselves to the family once they get into marriage and give birth to their own breed. Consequently, most women fall in a dilemma between family and work. Under such circumstances, part-time employment, characterized by shorter working hours and flexibility in the arrangements of time, is regarded as an alternative opportunity for married and childbearing women to return to the workplace and resume their career which had been discontinued as they got into marriage. However, the scholars are also concerned that an over assertive promotion of part-time employment in order to increase work participation rates of females will change this working pattern and “feminized” it. Also, it will possibly lead to comparatively poor working conditions as well as welfare that marginalize those female part-time employees.
This study aims at looking into the experiences of a few married and childbearing Taiwanese women to investigate the various factors and complicated concerns for which they chose to be part-time employers as well as the key timings they made such decisions. Furthermore, exploring how their daily lives had been influenced when they chose this working pattern is another target of this research.
This study adopted qualitative research. Interviewees were 12 women who work part-time now or had part-time work experiences. The results showed the tendency that most women quit their jobs as they got married and/or bore their own breeds. Yet the possibilities they return to workplaces under a full-time work pattern would be influenced and limited by their motivation, the needs of keeping the balance between family and work, and the length of time they had been unemployed. Expectations from their families, previous working experiences, and plans for various life stages can also affect their choices of work patterns. For those who nearly take a total responsibility of the family, the part-time working pattern meets their needs better. It could be a strategy to reduce the conflicts between work and family, a choice of returning to work, and a stepping stone in women’s working processes.
According to interviewees, they are most satisfied with the flexibility of time arrangement. Compared with those mothers and wives with full-time jobs, these females who work part-time have more chances to take care of their children and to keep their family company. However, work conditions and welfares do differ apparently between full-time and part-time jobs. Although most interviewees indicated that they concerned much more about the advantages of part-time work mentioned above, it is still essential for the government to response and take actions to deal with the difficulties many part-timer workers have been facing.
Based on the findings, this study purposes four suggestions: 1) To establish a standard of minimum working hours and salary following the "pro-rata" principle to protect all labors. 2) To enhance the communication and allow more space for negotiation between employers and employees, specific regulations shall be enacted for both sides to follow. 3) To propagandize relevant laws and regulations and help both employers and employees get familiar with them. 4) To advocate equality among different genders continually and thus the part-time work/employment can be promoted under a voluntary basis.