One-and-a-half -income earners disinclined to change working hours

Couples where the man works full-time and the woman part-time are the least inclined to change their working hours. Only 2 percent of the women would prefer to work full-time.

Many one-and-a-half-income earners have children

In 2010 there were more than 3.4 million couples of which both partners were aged between 15 and 65. The one-and-a-half-income earners are the most frequent earning type. One partner works full-time, the other part-time.

The share of one-and-a-half-income earners has risen from 23 percent in 1992 to 43 percent in 2010. Over half of the couples whose youngest child is under twelve are one-and-a-half-income earners. In 95 percent of the one-and-a-half-income earners the man has a full-time job.

Sharp decline in couples where one partner works full-time

In the period 1992-2010 the share of couples where one partner has a full-time job fell from 42 to 22 percent. The share of couples who both work full-time was stable at 14 percent.

Earning types among couples aged 15-65, 2010

Men who work full-time do not want to change working hours

Among the one-and-a-half-income couples 96 percent of the men working full-time do not want to change their working hours. Only 3 percent would like to have a part-time job. Furthermore few of the women working part-time want a full-time job. Only 2 percent of the woman who work part-time with a partner who works full-time want to work full-time as well.

One-and-a-half-income couples (man working full-time, woman part-time) by desired working hours, 2010

Women with a full-time job often want to work part-time

Relatively many men with part-time jobs want to work full-time. If their partner has a full-time job, 17 percent would prefer to have a full-time job as well.

On the other hand, relatively many women who work full-time would like to work part-time. This is the case for 12 percent of the women working full-time with a partner working part-time.

One-and-a-half-income couples (woman working full-time, man part-time) by desired working hours, 2010

Martijn Souren