The article aims at offering an empirical insight into the larger topic of female part-time employment in Central and Eastern Europe. The research was carried out in 2013 in Hungary and Romania, both characterised by low part-time rates. The study is based on 39 interviews
conducted with women with part-time work experience. In opposition to other studies carried out in this region within this theme it does not aim to look at atypical employment on a macrosocial level, but it attempts to understand the interpretations, social meanings and main narratives that frame these women’s experiences. It also emphasises the motivations behind these work choices, as well as the effects these have upon women’s private and work careers. The output is a model of four types of narratives of part-time work that are also informed by socially legitimate conceptions of gender roles.
Keywords: part-time work, women’s work, occupation and labour market in Hungary and Romania, gender roles

Full text (in Hungarian)