Getting out or switching to part-time: Gender disparities in the impacts of corporate restructuring

Abstract

Whereas the literature on gender disparities in cases of large-scale corporate restructuring focuses on discrimination in top-down processes, this article analyses why employee self-selection continues to yield gender inequalities. Based on the case study of an airline company and using mixed methods, the results indicate that men are more likely to accept voluntary redundancy and less likely to switch to subsidized part-time work. While women work part-time mostly to improve their work–life balance, men appear to be more sensitive to financial incentives and more prepared to retrain in a secondary activity. These findings suggest that restructuring amplifies women's existing labour market vulnerabilities, even under voluntary redundancy plans.