To ask if you work full or part time and the reasons why?

[BabyNextYear25]

My sister received news today she would not be able to return to work full time as there isn't capacity. She was a little annoyed as her youngest will be in school and she's bored at home.
It got me thinking, the vast majority of my female friends and family work part time. It would be my dream to work part time but it's not feasible at the moment. Um curious to see how many women work part time, and what is there reason behind it? But also full time as well.
My reason is simple- I was single parent and I couldn't pay my mortgage on one wage.

I went back full time after maternity leave both because I wanted to and for financial reasons. I applied for a promotion when DS was 6 weeks old and I got it. They held the position open for me until I returned 7 months later. We need my full time wage and my job doesn’t offer part time, and even if it did a part-time wage wouldn’t cover the mortgage or childcare to cover my work days. DH and I both work, he earns a considerable amount more than me, and I don’t earn a bad wage either. Life just sucks financially and childcare is extortionate. I wouldn’t want to work part time anyway, the stay-at-home-mum life is not for me. I did try compressed hours after being back at work 6 months as the full-time nursery fees were crippling us, but that meant doing my full time hours over 4 days. I was exhausted and burnt out, ratty and snappy with my son and husband and began to dread the one day a week I had at home with DS. So I lasted 6 weeks on those hours and went back to full time over 5 days. Much more balanced work/life balance and much happier all round! But I know what you mean - growing up my mum worked part time in a school so her hours fit round us, we never went to after school clubs or wrap around care. Most of my friends were the same. I just think life has moved on now and it’s uncommon for both parents to work full time. All my friends with children work full time.

That should have said not uncommon for both parents to work full time.

2 kids and choose to work part-time. We own our house so just working to top up my pension. I am 45, hoping to retire no later than 60...enjoy life a bit.

I work part time- 30 hours a week spread over three days. I am a mental health nurse with a just turned four year old son. Our shifts are mostly 12 hours long and do not fit around any childcare provision. Very little support with childcare from family.

so basically, on ending maternity leave I went down to part time hours- I work on the three days my husband has off.
Reason been there would always be someone at home to look after our little boy. Husbands hours don’t fit round childcare either- he works Monday to Thursday 7-5.30 but has a 45 minute commute each way.

Financially I could do to go back to full time hours but it’s just not feasible in the jobs we do with a young son. He starts school full time in September but can’t imagine things will get any easier then- my shifts are 7.30am-7.45pm so no one available to do school drop offs and pick ups. Not to mention the school holidays. It sucks never having time off with my husband but it’s just the way things are right now so we can both earn money.

Full time for the money.
DH works and earns enough where if I wasn’t working, would be able to pay all the bills etc, but we wouldn’t have the same comforts on one income. We’re not wealthy by any means but with two incomes, we have a nice home and can splurge on holidays and other things.
We also have no children, so if I wasn’t working full time, I’m not sure what I would be doing to fill my time.

Full time from age 17-34 when I had my son. Part time ever since. Husband has very demanding job and the chances of him being able to do dr, dentist appointments and school runs etc were virtually nil. Career has suffered but I’ve always felt women can’t have it all and we have to chose which to give up. Never regretted it.

Agree. Also I have a 33% contribution* final salary pension; if I were to go part time I’d suffer in the long run. Far better to ram as much money into this pension now, in a role I love at an organisation that offers a very flexible and trust-based culture, and then leave to go part time somewhere else closer to retirement, knowing my ‘final salary’ was as high as it could be, for as long as it could be.

so many people forget that not paying into a pension now, means less money at the other end. I’m in my prime pension building years and I want to guarantee myself a more than comfortable retirement (partly because I believe state pensions will disappear in the next 20 years, or become means tested).

*I only contribute 7%, employer contributes the rest

But I think the pension idea is a risk/ benefit thing. I'd rather have the time at home with the kids by working part time now. I'm still alive now and in good enough health to enjoy life. Who knows if and when I'll make pension age. DH lost both his parents when they were in theirs 40s, and he was a teenager, so this does skew our thinking a bit, admittedly.

I'm switching from part.time to full time because I'm sick to death of carrying the load at home as well as working 3-4 nights a week.
It's too much for one person so if I work the same hours, theyre out of excuses and can get in the bin if they think I'm continuing to do 100% of the cooking, cleaning, washing etc. I'm already practicing my blank face when they ask where their pants are or what's for dinner.

And I'm getting a cleaner. Fuck it.

Worked full time for money and benefits (including salary sacrifice for childcare and health care). Went part time to grow business.

I really prefer part time and I’d happily take a part time role that allows me to match my ideal salary.

Part time (25 hours in 3 days). Have tried f/t (really wanted the job etc) but a few months in felt like I was on a hamster wheel. have done very part time (2.5days and didn’t really find that enough). Current work hours is enough money and off time.

Husband works shifts which are all over the place and children are primary school age so there’s no routine his side.

tbh I’d like to work 30 hours over 4 days but when the school holidays come round I’m really glad we only have to sort 3 days of childcare.

Has anyone considered that they won’t necessarily by enjoying their retirements/pensions because the way things are going they’ll be full time childcarers for their grandkids 🥺

childcare costs are absolutely mental and I can’t see how future generations are going to be able to afford it on top of the crazy cost of living/mortgage/rents etc.

our kids are gonna be working FT just to keep a roof over their heads. We’ll end up raising their kids

@Pssspsss if my kids have kids I'll be in my seventies and I don't anticipate living anywhere near them (once they leave home I hope to be able to downsize and I dream of moving somewhere I like at some point, albeit that might need to wait until I retire).

@Pssspsss would this be so awful? I agree completely with you that it's a sad state of affairs that people are forced to work full time to keep up with bills, something has gone wrong somewhere, and I really hope my children have the choice to work part time when the time comes. However I would love the opportunity to look after any grandchildren I have and really hope I am around and well enough to do so, should my children decide to have children of their own.

How I see it panning out, part of the balance I am trying to strike now is that I will be in a financial position to retire and help my kids out just as my mother has done for me.

@Rainsdropskeepfalling abroad!! Go abroad 😂 as far as you can

Full time because tbh I would go stir crazy if I didn’t. My kids are young adults now and only one at home but even when they were small I was the same. Maternity leave bored me shitless. I might have enjoyed some extended leave a bit more when they were toddlers and more interactive.

its stood me in good stead to build a career I really love and get well recompensed for it.

I work part time, 2 days a week. I have 3 kids, youngest is 2. I was full-time before the kids then dropped to 3 days once my eldest was born. Working 2 days means I don't need childcare as dh compressed his hours.

I will not be providing full time childcare for my children. They will be aware of that so it will be part of their decision making.

Part time because nursery costs would eat up any extra pay I got from being full time 🙄

Full time - about 50hrs per week, less in school holidays. Main wage earner, can't afford not to work and can't really do my role part time. The dream would be to do 3 days. Never going to be possible. I'm tired. House is a mess and desperately needs cleaning. I was up at 6am yesterday and today to get some washing done.

Full time, I tried part time and I found I was doing the same amount of work for less money.

Im lucky, I work from home full time, nursery is a two minute walk away. That way I get time with them in the morning and evening, while still having time for myself and work.

Agreed, I will not be doing childcare. I don’t have grandparents doing it now and my children will expect it. I’m sure I’ll babysit etc but not as a regular arrangement.

Condensed hours 6 hours a day - no lunchbreak. So I start early but I’m home by 2.30pm
officially I do full time hours but not really

Er, I absolutely will not be providing full time childcare. Besides, I will likely still be working full time myself. My parents did not provide childcare for me, I won't be doing either. I would babysit when I'm available but I'm not dedicating my life to it!

No, because choosing to provide childcare for someone is an active choice, and its a choice neither of us will be making if any of ours decide to have children, beyond things like babysitting for a night out etc.