Why do people work part time ? I've never understood it...

[mozhe]

I never have, but lots of colleagues in NHS did....you end up doing 3/4 of the work for 1/2 the salary, and get passed over in the promotion stakes...And have you noticed that it's nearly always women who do this ? Why ? I actively discourage junior staff from doing this but lots seem to....

I Work part-time for the because we need my wage, but I also want to raise my children, not work to pay for someone else to do it. I want to see thier life for real not in snapshots taken by a childminder, nanny or nursery. We're extremeley lucky that we have the oppertunity to do this as my shifts (hours a day) compliment my husbands.

Would love to be a SAHM, but it's not financially posible unless I force my DH into a job he hates and make him slog his guts out - which I am not prepared to do - we're in partnership!

I have the children in the AM, him in the PM and we have some time all together in the evenings

Can't believe you wrote this question on MN?! Are you looking for a fight - not that I am offering, but it's a bit of a hot potato

what a bloody stupid question.

Isn't it obvious why people work PT?!

I work PT (0.5).

I get a decent salary out of working, lots of holidays, a final salary pension, chance to keep my work-related skills up to date, keep an outside interest in work, etc.

The money aspect obviously means we can have more of the things we like in our life - days out, holidays, bigger house, car, etc. I am lucky that I only work for the extra bits; I don't have to work as such.

But I also get to spend more time with my child. I can collect my child from school in an evening. I can go to assemblies and concerts at school. I am not too tired after a day at work to have friends back to play/for tea. I can BE WITH my daughter.

And it is wrong to summise that it is only women that work PT. Where I work there are several men that also work PT hours for various reasons. I also know of other men that work PT.

I work because I need, on many levels not just financial, to work. I work four days a week. If I had a proper job - I'm freelance -I'd probably do three days a week; as it is, I do four.

I don't work on the fifth day because rather to my surprise I have found that I also need, on many levels, to spend time with my adorable children. So I hang out with DD2 and we pick up DD1 from school at 3.30, and I generally get my Inferiorette-fix.

I had to read back into this thread because I initially thought it was a joke. Just one minute thinking about it and you could come up with a hundred reasons.

I don't understand why your explaining yourselves. The question was stupidity of the highest degree.

Message withdrawn

Ripax, perhaps in the hope that mozhe will return the favour when she gets back from work, and explain why someone with (nearly) six children would work full-time. Something which many no doubt also don't understand - don't condemn, disapprove of, or 'actively discourage', but just don't understand.

Ahem .. where did the OP go?

I had to go part time when DCs started school (school is only part time, have you noticed?)

Anyway... DCs are now aged 20 and 16 and I'm still part time. I would have to be dragged kicking and screaming back to full time.

I finish work at 3pm and tootle off the gym (cheap off-peak rate) or go for a run, and am still home at the same time as DS gets off the school bus.

Ohh, it makes a lovely change to get picked on - us p/ters get too easy a ride in the working/non-working debate

Mozhe - surely the problem is that the alternatives are
a) 100% of the money for 110% of the work (ime)
b) 0% of the money for 0% of the work...?

And, as others have posted, I've found a way to work that means I work 2 days a week and earn, roughly, 75% of the basic salary that I did working 5 days a week. What's not to like?

Suley it is becuase they are lazy. I mean they really just sit on their arses mon. wd and fri afternoons

Well I don't know about the rest of us but I do it so I can feel intellectually superior to SAHM's

i work full time and therefore feel superior to you.

however anna88088 will come on and tell us how inferiour we all are - (until her children hit 21 and have a life)

Ah no I get to feel morally superior to you WOHM's because I spend more time with my dc's than you

I get to insult everyone today, result

Mozhe - I think you need to be more careful what you post. You've given a lot of personal info on mumsnet so I don't suppose you would be hard to identify - senior psychiatrist with 6 children. And to be actively encouraging staff not to work part-time must be against all sorts of NHS policies, if not illegal.

Also think this is an odd question - work 80% of the hours and get 80% of the salary. Even when I worked 100% of the hours and got 80% of the salary (my choice not enforced) I still got fridays off so it was worth it to me. Don;t get passed ove for promotion becasue I'm the finance director and there is no=where to promote me to (though have my eye on the MD's job [wink}) Its not just "junior staff" who work part-time!

I work p/t because we need the money, but I also enjoy my work. I have 3 days at the office, joining in with the banter and I get my pension, bonus etc and I have 4 days at home being mummy.

I think it's the best of both worlds

I think part time work is like full time work only cut in half?

LOL! This thread is asking for debate, or argument!

I work part time for the money.

I work part time to have my own bank account, to have my own name on my cheque book.

I work part time to pay into a pension and to enable me to pay into ds trust fund.

I work part time for the NHS due to childcare commitments and the fact that i actually have a life.Although i enjoy my job it certainly isn't my top priority.I may only be part time but i work hard during my working hours.To be honest even if i could afford a nanny/childminder i wouldn't work full time whilst my children are so young,they come first.
So what's it to you?

In the world according to mozhe, anyone other than a mother in full-time work is a waster.