Gender equality in the labour market was a key topic in the Nordic cooperation on gender equality 2011–2014. One important challenge is to reduce the gender divide in the labour market and thus reduce the income differences between women and men. Another challenge is that parttime work is more common among women than men. This affects both the economic opportunities of women and men at the individual level and the gender equality in the labour market.

As part of the Nordic cooperation on gender equality, the Nordic Council of Ministers asked NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, to coordinate the project Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region. The project was part of NIKK’s assignment to gather and distribute comparative information that can inform political discussions related to gender equality.

The aim of the project was to shed light on and analyse part-time work in the Nordic region, develop reports and arrange conferences. During the Swedish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2013, the project identified how part-time work affects the economic resources of women and men. This first report presents statistics on full and part-time work and compares the effects of part-time work on pensions in the Nordic countries. Marianne Sundström, professor of labour economics at Stockholm University, and Alma Lanninger Wennemo, Master’s student at Stockholm University, wrote the report on a request by NIKK. Calculations, results and conclusions presented in the report are the authors’ own and not those of NIKK.

During the Icelandic presidency in 2014, the project explained why the patterns differ between women and men. It also described relevant measures taken by actors in the labour market and the political sphere.