| Abstract: | The work situation of female part‐time workers has been a central focus of diverse interpretations of labour market disadvantage. While providing rather different accounts of why this should be the case, these share a view that part‐timers are largely confined to jobs with lower levels of skill than full‐timers. This article, drawing on nationally representative surveys, shows that the skill requirements of female part‐time jobs have improved significantly since the early 1990s relative to male full‐timers. While some sectors of part‐time work have benefited more than others, there is evidence of polarisation only with respect to part‐timers with different working hours. The overall rise in the relative skills of part‐timers poses significant issues about employer practice with respect to the wider involvement of part‐timers in the organisations for which they work. |
