Work-Life Balance Measures and Gender Division of Labor

Abstract

Recently work-life balance (WLB) measures have been attracting attention in Japan. WLB measures are programs that promote the reconciliation of conflicts between workplace and family responsibilities. They include the provision of on-site childcare centers, maternity leave systems, parentalleave systems, and flexitime systems. There are several reasons for the current interest in them. First, the labor force participation of women with children is increasing, particularly as it has become more socially acceptable for women to re-enter the labor force after childbirth. Second, the fertility rate has been declining in Japan over the past 30 years. The government has implemented many countermeasures to alleviate declining fertility. At the core of the countermeasures is the harmonization of work and childcare. Third, traditionally large family households consisting of three generations or more are declining. This decline has resulted in an absence of extended-family members to help with childcare responsibilities when parents are working. Moreover, the number of single-parent families is rising. All of these changes have increased the need for WLB measures. In Japan, as in many advanced countries, male workers seldom take advantage of WLB measures. Sakamoto (2002) posits four reasons for this: (1) male workers do not know they are entitled to take childcare leave; (2) male workers do not need to take leave because the mother usually stays at home and takes care of the children; (3) the loss of income is larger for households when the man takes leave than when the woman takes leave; and (4) workplace practices prevent male workers from taking the leave.