Dear all, Recently there has been some discussion about part-time work. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2024, 29 per cent of the working population in Germany – almost every second woman (49 per cent) and twelve per cent of men. When we asked on Instagram why you work part-time, the most common answer was: because of the children.
Susanne has also just returned to part-time work after the birth of her second child, but she also wonders: „Will I ever get out of this situation?“
The part-time trap: will I ever get out of it?
My name is Susanne, my daughter is 3 and my son is 1, and I started working part-time again a few weeks ago. I work in a dental practice, my husband works in construction and is often on the road; he works full-time. My husband and I have often thought about whether we could find another solution, but he has to work full-time so that we can cover our fixed costs.
I’m happy to be back at work; I’ve always enjoyed it and I need it. But I’m already noticing that the strain is really intense. I’m torn between my job and my children and have virtually no time for myself anymore. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I didn’t go to work at all.
On the other hand, I wonder: will I ever get out of this part-time situation? Will I be able to develop professionally at all? Or is this just the way things are now, with everyone getting used to Mum doing most of the care work, making it increasingly difficult to change anything?
It’s important to me to say that we don’t come from wealthy families, so we have no inheritance to look forward to. My husband and I have to work to make ends meet. If I stopped working, we really wouldn’t be able to afford going to the cinema, going on trips or any other „luxuries“. And I don’t want to stop working because I need it and want to provide for myself.
I know I’m not the only one who has these thoughts, but I still don’t have much opportunity to discuss them. So I would be very happy if other mums would write to me and tell me how their families have dealt with this. Thank you for your stories.
