European Union regulations and governance of part-time work

This chapter focuses on the European Union (EU) dimension of part-time work. It gives a broad overview of EU norms and instrument and sets the issue of part-time work in the wider context of gender equality. Connecting part-time work with gender equality facilitates the analysis in two ways. Firstly, it enables linking the EU's employment policies to fundamental rights such as equal labour market opportunities for men and women. Via this fundamental rights approach the EU's view on part-time work may be tied to concerns of labour market dualisation. Secondly, it helps to analyse the degree of conflict between the aims of the different EU instruments. For instance, do the part-time work directive and the European Employment Strategy (EES) both aim for equal employment opportunities, or do other goals prevail? By answering such questions, the chapter not only reveals the different ways in which the EU deals with part-time employment, but also uncovers whether or not there is coherence between the different EU-level instruments