My first poll, run for most of April has now closed. It asked whether people knew fathers who wanted to work part-time. The poll was conducted online on two separate sites, and the results suggest that different interest groups may still retain polarised views on this issue. What this small sample also highlights is that where you look for answers can influence the results that you find.
While a significant minority across both polls knew one father who wanted to work part-time, the majority view was opposed at the other ends of the spectrum. On this blog’s poll, the majority (50%) know lots of fathers who want to work part-time. The other poll, conducted on a business networking site, showed that a larger majority (62%) did not know any fathers who wanted to work part-time.
The sample of fathers in my PhD research were overwhelmingly opposed to part-time working as it was associated with women, low pay, and low status jobs. Flexible working patterns were viewed far more favourably.
The results from this blog’s poll, favouring part-time working for fathers, suggest that the ways we organise – and value - work really do need to enable diverse practices.
Poll Results:
1. I know lots of fathers who want to work part-time:
Blog poll: 50% Business Poll: 12%
2. I know one father who wants to work part-time:
Blog poll: 33% Business Poll: 25%
3. I don’t know any fathers who want to work part-time:
Blog poll: 16% Business Poll: 62%
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