Overview
- Seventeen percent of part-time mothers say they would increase their hours under current conditions, rising to 45% if employers offered more flexible arrangements.
- Willingness is higher among those with younger children, with 48% ready to scale up if conditions improve versus 38% for mothers with older children.
- The leading reason for working part-time is wanting more time with children at 39% among mothers with the youngest under 12, while health and leisure grow in importance as children age at 7–8%.
- Researchers highlight time- and location-flexible schedules, greater autonomy, and the ability to later reduce expanded hours, which 40% rate as essential.
- Prognos conducted the representative survey in spring 2025 for the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, and the newly reported findings underscore potential relief for Germany’s skilled-labor shortages.