「全職」媽媽的「兼職」工作？台灣已婚育女性選擇部分工時工作的就業經驗探討

Abstract

全球化的浪潮加深了國際間的企業競爭以及經濟、市場的不確定性，促使企業必須更有效率的追求利潤，而服務業的快速興起，也增加雇主們對彈性運用勞動力的需求，在當時大部分勞動法規都是爲典型勞動者設計的情況下，部分工時工作就成爲雇主用來降低勞動成本的方式。同時，不斷攀升的失業率也促使許多政府將「促進部分工時就業」當作解決失業問題的有效策略，在這樣的環境背景下，部分工時工作便成爲部分國家近幾十年來成長最快速的工作型態之一。相較於男性，女性在經歷婚育階段後往往需背負起家中大部分的照顧與家事責任，而面臨家庭與工作的兩難處境，因此工時較短且彈性的部分工時工作就常被視爲讓「已婚育女性」免於因家庭因素而完全中斷就業的一種較友善的工作型態。然而，學者們也擔心一味的促進女性部分工時勞動以提升其整體勞動參與將造成此工作型態的「女性化」，它相對較差的就業條件、福利更可能邊緣化女性部分工時勞動者，故本研究便希望藉由台灣已婚育女性實際的經驗中，了解她們在進入家庭後，是在哪個時間點、經歷了怎樣複雜且多元的考量脈絡而選擇了部分工時工作；以及部分工時工作型態對她們生活各面向所產生的影響。 本研究採用質性研究中的深度訪談法，一共訪問十二位現有或曾有在婚育後、家中至少有一位孩子尚未成年的階段中從事部分工時工作經驗的女性。研究發現女性確實是較容易因爲進入了婚育階段而中斷就業的性別，且她們再回到全職工作中的可能性也會受到其本身意願、必須在家庭與工作間尋求平衡的需求、或中斷就業時間長度的影響而降低。同時，家人的期待、過去工作經驗、個人對生命各階段的不同安排、景氣好壞等影響面向，也形塑了每位女性在規劃就業歷程與選擇工作型態時的不同考量脈絡。對幾乎負擔所有家庭責任的研究受訪者而言，部分工時工作是相對較有吸引力的工作型態，在她們的就業歷程中，部分工時工作可能扮演「兼顧家庭與工作的策略」、「二度就業的選擇」、「過渡時期的踏板」等三個角色。 在從事部分工時工作的經驗中，受訪者感到最滿意的部分爲在家庭與工作間的彈性時間安排，尤其是過去以全職工作爲主的女性，對於與家人相處、親自教養孩子時間增加的感受又更深刻。但是，部分工時工作與全職工作間明顯的就業條件差距也確實存在，雖然女性可能因爲更在意工作能提供的彈性或其他優勢而不在意，甚至認定部分工時工作者擁有較差的薪資、福利是理所當然的，政策、制度上仍有對此現況做出回應的必要。 依據研究結果，本研究提出以下四個研究建議：（1）建立最低工時與依循「比例原則」的薪資保障；（二）增進勞雇雙方的協商空間，明訂雙方協商應有的規範；（三）加強相關法規與保障的宣導；（四）持續推動性別平等的就業環境，在工作者「自願」的基礎下促進「兩性」的部分工時就業。

On account of the different needs and concerns of the government, the labors and the employers, demands for part-time employment have grown rapidly worldwide over the decades. Different from men who care more for career, women tend to devote themselves to the family once they get into marriage and give birth to their own breed. Consequently, most women fall in a dilemma between family and work. Under such circumstances, part-time employment, characterized by shorter working hours and flexibility in the arrangements of time, is regarded as an alternative opportunity for married and childbearing women to return to the workplace and resume their career which had been discontinued as they got into marriage. However, the scholars are also concerned that an over assertive promotion of part-time employment in order to increase work participation rates of females will change this working pattern and “feminized” it. Also, it will possibly lead to comparatively poor working conditions as well as welfare that marginalize those female part-time employees. This study aims at looking into the experiences of a few married and childbearing Taiwanese women to investigate the various factors and complicated concerns for which they chose to be part-time employers as well as the key timings they made such decisions. Furthermore, exploring how their daily lives had been influenced when they chose this working pattern is another target of this research. This study adopted qualitative research. Interviewees were 12 women who work part-time now or had part-time work experiences. The results showed the tendency that most women quit their jobs as they got married and/or bore their own breeds. Yet the possibilities they return to workplaces under a full-time work pattern would be influenced and limited by their motivation, the needs of keeping the balance between family and work, and the length of time they had been unemployed. Expectations from their families, previous working experiences, and plans for various life stages can also affect their choices of work patterns. For those who nearly take a total responsibility of the family, the part-time working pattern meets their needs better. It could be a strategy to reduce the conflicts between work and family, a choice of returning to work, and a stepping stone in women’s working processes. According to interviewees, they are most satisfied with the flexibility of time arrangement. Compared with those mothers and wives with full-time jobs, these females who work part-time have more chances to take care of their children and to keep their family company. However, work conditions and welfares do differ apparently between full-time and part-time jobs. Although most interviewees indicated that they concerned much more about the advantages of part-time work mentioned above, it is still essential for the government to response and take actions to deal with the difficulties many part-timer workers have been facing. Based on the findings, this study purposes four suggestions: 1) To establish a standard of minimum working hours and salary following the 'pro-rata' principle to protect all labors. 2) To enhance the communication and allow more space for negotiation between employers and employees, specific regulations shall be enacted for both sides to follow. 3) To propagandize relevant laws and regulations and help both employers and employees get familiar with them. 4) To advocate equality among different genders continually and thus the part-time work/employment can be promoted under a voluntary basis.