Citation

Haley‐Lock A. Nonprofit Manag. Leadersh. 2009; 19(4): 421-442.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/nml.230

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article extends the growing literature on the quality of part-time employment to the domain of nonprofit human services, specifically grassroots organizations in which paid work is itself a relatively new reality. It addresses three central questions: How do part-time and full-time workers differ in their personal and household characteristics? How do part-time jobs differ in access to employment benefits from their full-time counterparts; and finally, How does benefits access vary among part-time job titles? These lines of inquiry are examined using data from the populations of nonprofit domestic violence programs and their employees in a large midwestern metropolitan area. Analyses of worker-level data reveal that part-time workers in these settings disproportionately live with children, are in committed relationships, and report a strong preference for employment that facilitates work-life balance; they are also less likely to be primary household wage earners. Analyses at the level of jobs suggest that employment benefits extended to part-time jobs are minimal compared to their full-time equivalents, but there are also striking variations among different part-time titles. The results offer insights into the nature of part-time work in these nonprofit human service settings and potential challenges for effective management.