Who benefits most from the Four-Day Week – Men or Women?

Australian and international interest in working time reduction is at an all-time high. International research evidence shows clear benefits of working time reduction for both employee wellbeing and organisational performance, but what does it mean for gender equality?

Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, the seminar will explore the effects of a four-day work week on wellbeing, motivation, time use, domestic work, leisure, and the performance and costs for organisations. Applying a gender lens reveals important contrasts between individualised part-time work arrangements and collective reductions in working hours.

Please join us for an online research seminar where Professor Brendan Burchell (The University of Cambridge, UK) will present findings from his team’s program of research on this topic.

About the speaker

Brendan Burchell is Professor in the Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, UK. Professor Burchell’s research interests centre on the effects of labour market conditions on wellbeing. For the past few years his research has focussed on Work Time Reduction / the Four-Day Week. He was one of the principal researchers for the UK four-day week pilot in 2022, and analysed the South Cambridgeshire District Council four-day week performance data. He has published widely in the academic literature and his work has been featured extensively in the media. He has also been Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge.