Gender disparities in reasons for part-time work in Turkey

This paper investigates the reasons for part-time work in Turkey, with a particular focus on gender disparities. Using microdata from the Turkish Household Labour Force Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute, multinomial regression models are used to examine the demographic and work-related factors influencing reasons for part-time work. Rather than the traditional categorisation of part-time work as voluntary or involuntary, this research explores the reasons separately, providing a more comprehensive view of understanding the reasons driving individuals to choose part-time employment. The findings reveal that gender differences in reasons for part-time work are consistent with societal expectations and gender roles. As expected, individuals working part-time due to care responsibilities are mostly women, while men have a greater share in the reason for could not find a full-time job. However, being married and increasing the number of people in the household boost the probability of solely women's part-time work due to care responsibilities but not men's. Similarly, age, registration, occupation, and sector variables are more determinants for men compared to women in the category of could not find a full-time job. Differences between genders are less common in other reasons for part-time work.