To wonder why some people don't work full-time?

[donniedarko89]

I was part-time myself while DD was very young as I wanted to spend time with her. I know many mums however who have stayed part time even after the kids go to school. They only work 2 or 3 days a week. The thing is, they're not loaded, on the contrary they keep complaining that finances are tight and they can't afford stuff - then why not increase your work days (they could all easily do it)? Some of them even have a cleaner. No hobbies on the side either. It genuinely puzzles me!

I think that's a really shallow view maybe sparked by your experience of people around you. Working part time doesn't necessarily mean doing less, it all depends on your family situation and other responsibilities outside of paid work.

Ow! I think you hit a nerve.

Bravo OP 👋👋👋👋🙄

I was part time for 10yrs. First couple I was 4 days because I wanted to spend 1 day per week with my DD and save on nursery / after school for that day. Then next 8yrs or so I was very unwell, with a serious pancreas disease and even doing 3 was very very tough. Following a major surgery on my pancreas I felt able to increase my days, and went to 4, then 5 soon after. I used to want to cry when I saw my pension statement so I’m really happy I’m back full time.

For me too I was able to claim some tax credits being 3 days and renting, so it actually wasn’t worth my while in that respect (excluding pension here) to increase. But my situation changed re housing and I wasn’t paying rent anymore so I decided to go full time. It’s meant I’ve been able to get a promotion too as I’ve been able to push myself more being 5 days. So my salary has tripled, and my pension is looking much better. If you have the option to increase hours and chose not to, don’t complain about lack of money, I agree

I work part-time because:

• I have a long term health condition that gives me chronic pain and is quite time-consuming to try to manage
• It is degenerative so it also means that I won't have a great quality of life as I age so I have to live for now as much as I can while my body can still function
• There is no way I am wasting my entire week working for an employer under these circumstances.

Because there is more to life then work and I want to see my kids grow up and not be in the office every day.
I love them and prefer spending time with them. I don’t want to be coming in at 6-7pm stressy because of work.

I also prefer going for lunch & coffees and doing my hobby in the days I’m off then working as it’s more enjoyable 😂

My kids are 10 and I've just gone down to 3 days. Don't really want to work more as have a very stressful job and willing to sacrifice luxuries for less stress.

isn't it amazing how there is a sudden influx posts like these keep popping up, almost as if they are paid to start threads about, would be benefit cheats, lazy mums, 'hard working people',
benefits being to easy to claim etc....🤔

As a single mum I worked p/t til my child was at secondary school, aside from it just not making economic sense to have to shell out for child care for the hours not covered by their being at school (I got no child support from his dad so money was incredibly tight) I also wanted to be at home when he finished school and not be knackered as of course I was doing all the other stuff that us single parents have to do. I spread my hours out over the 5 day week, to factor this in, When he was 11 I went full time, I also went back to college, studied and got a better-paid job. I had to do what fitted with my circumstances

I work 32 hours over 4 days. If i worked f/t 37.5 hours at my company by the time i have paid tax / car parking and fuel for an extra day. I am not much better off for the day i loose

If I genuinly had no money worries and have £20,000 in savings and no mortgage then I wouldnt work fulltime but I also really enjoy my job and the friends I see there daily so it probably depends on peoples jobs and financial states

I can't, or at least, I am reasonably sure I will fall to bits if I try and I am not willing to do that, particularly as it would involve letting others down if I did, so I won't.

I might well tell you things are tight if I worry that you think I am living a life of luxury twiddling my thumbs whilst you work your arse off.

Things are tight, but I have enough to get by usually - I generally (in real life, not here!) don't bleat on about being chronically ill or about being disabled so lots of people wouldn't know that and may assume I work part time because I am lazy or rich (I mean.. not people who have met me... it's pretty obvious why if you meet me, but I talk to a lot of people I have never met!).

er, what? 😂

I only work 30 hours and my ds is in school, if I worked anymore however I'd be spending any extra money on childcare so there is literally no point. Also my mental and physical health is hanging on by a thread as it is so yeah money is tight but I also value my health and being around for my child.

Why would anyone be sitting at home alone? 😬Do you not have other things in your life other than work?

I don’t work, my kids are teens. I spend time with friends/family that don’t work or that have a day off and do various things with them, go to the gym, volunteer, walk the dogs, look after foster animals, go walking, do diy, only sometimes am I in the house. And for me, my partner is around as he works from home.

My partner likes his job but when he no longer works, he won’t just be sitting around the house. Although sometimes it nice just to do that.

@theonlygirl

If you're struggling to understand my post you should keep reading

loads of direct examples of what I mean

Because the 40 hour work week is a trap invented by capitalism to keep us paying money for goods and services that we don’t have time to produce or mange ourselves due to the hours we aren’t at home?

DH and I work about 30 hours each. Our outgoings are lower, we have more family time, we can focus on other interests, we feel happier. It’s not all about having ‘stuff’.

This old chestnut, OP?

Do you REALLY think that the people who have to work full time don't want that as well? People rarely choose to work full time for fun!

Fine if you're self sufficient on part time hours. Not cool if someone enables you to do it whilst not getting the above themselves.

I work part-time - I don't have DC and have absolutely no plans to ever go back to full-time employment unless I desperately need to.

Life's too short, tbh.

@Mommabear20
you would only be sitting at home if you wanted to.

As it happens I don’t want to, so I don’t. I meet friends, go to the gym, work on my allotment. In the winter when there is not much to do on the allotment I might even take a flask of tea and a sandwich for the matinee at the cinema. I have more than enough to do.

I don't and it's for exactly the reasons others have said - I value balance in my life. I don't like to spend 5 days dashing around and then squeezing all of my housework/life admin/hobbies etc into the weekend.
Obviously I could have much nicer things if I worked more but I'm not that bothered. Everyone's just trying to get a balance that works for them and it stands to reason that the right balance looks different from person to person.

Because it’s bloody knackering. Mu e are teems and if i coukd cut my hours Id do it in a heartbeat. Id hapoily sacrifice a summer holiday for a couple of extra days off every week.

1.Husbands that work all manor of hours and can't possibly help with any childcare/house stuff
2.no wrap around care provided at some schools
3.cost of childcare negates going to work
4.exhausting and then no energy for family and house a complete pig sty

1. Don't find work enjoyable in addition to all those aforementioned things

Those are my top 5 reasons

Because some people aren’t paid much per hour so they can’t afford for child care for school runs and holidays ect and they have no one else to have their dc or they just don’t want to 🤷‍♀️.