Many Swiss men want part-time work, but few take the plunge

Published on September 30, 2026

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The proportion of men working part-time has doubled in Switzerland since 2000, according to a University of Zurich study supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). But many are also discouraged from reducing their hours, largely by social norms. In Switzerland, around 40% of the working population works part-time, a figure that puts the country second among the 38 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), just behind the Netherlands. According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), nearly six in ten working women in Switzerland were in part-time employment in 2025, compared with just over 20% of men. Sociologists Jan Müller from the University of Zurich and Youngjoo Cha, a professor at Indiana University in the United States, have examined the factors influencing this choice among men. The researchers analysed data collected between 2004 and 2020. The study, published at the end of July in the journal Community, Work and Family ... Full story here Are you the author?

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