Who Is a Part-Time Worker Around the World and Why Does It Matter? Examining the Quality of Employment Measures and Workers’ Perceived Job Quality |
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| Authors: | Jeffrey C Dixon Destinee B McCollum Andrew S Fullerton |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA;2. Department of Sociology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA |
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| Abstract: | Theory and research do not fully account for the cross-national variation in part-time work definitions and measures, which may affect conclusions. Using the 2004 to 2009 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) as a special case, this study analyzes the reliability of different part-time work measures for 47 countries, finding high levels of consistency between what resembles a country-specific measure and measures based on 30- and 35-hr thresholds. Bivariate analyses reveal that sex is consistently related to—and suggestive of the construct validity of—part-time measures, except in some non–Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Analyses of selected countries in 1 year indicate that the choice of part-time work measure matters for understanding workers’ perceptions of their earnings, advancement opportunities, and job security in a few countries. Our results yield good news for ISSP users but highlight the need for the more exhaustive conceptualization of part-time work we offer, research outside of the OECD, and care in interpreting data in some countries. |
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