Female labour force participation or male working hours? Hans Böckler Foundation grants project on working time reforms in Germany and Spain

27 June 2024

Whether it's the shortage of skilled workers, work-life balance, or social-ecological transformation, the four-day week is currently at the center of societal debates. Conflict lines, however, vary in different European countries. In Germany, where half of the women are employed part-time, an increase in female full-time employment is discussed as the "greatest hope against the shortage of skilled workers.” In contrast, the Spanish Minister of Labor, Yolanda Diaz, advocates against “long, male working hours” and for the universalization of the 32-hour work week. The question of a socially accepted working time reform cannot, as we argue, be explained solely by union power resources or the influence of existing social and tariff policy institutions but requires a fundamental analysis of the relationship between care and wage labor. Latest information on the project here.