The Change of the Balance of Time Use between Husband and Wife Affected by the Shorter Working Time

1.我检验了工作周和每周休息日对夫妻时间使用的影响。我使用的数据是1991年日本统计局管理和协调机构进行的时间使用和休闲活动调查。结果如下。（1）每周工作时间较长的丈夫在睡眠和空闲时间上花费较少。然而，丈夫花在家务上的时间与工作周几乎没有关系。（2）每周工作五天的丈夫每周的工作时间比每周工作六天的丈夫短。但是，在一周工作五天的丈夫中，工作日的工作时间较长。2.我进行了最初的时间预算调查，其人口是同一家庭的丈夫和妻子。结果如下。（1）在丈夫休假的日子里，不仅自由时间增加，而且用于家务的时间也增加。丈夫不在时，妻子在家务上的花费较少。不过，下降的幅度并没有那么大。（2）家庭主妇和已婚职业女性在丈夫休假时的休息时间分配存在差异。家庭主妇和已婚职业女性的休息日的含义不同。3.得出的结论是，工作时间的缩短对夫妻的日常生活产生了积极的影响，家庭成员之间以及工作日和休息日之间的时间使用平衡存在一些问题。

1.I examined the effects of the work week and the weekly day off on the time use of husband and wife. I used the data of 1991 Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities conducted by Statistics Bureau Management and Coordination Agency Japan. The results are as follows.(1)Husbands with longer work week spend less on sleep and free time. Time devoted to the housework by husbands, however, is hardly related to the work week.(2)The work week of husbands on a five-day week is shorter than those on a six-day week. However, the working time of weekdays is longer among husbands on a five-day week.2.I conducted the original time budget survey whose population was husbands and wives of the same households. The results are as follows.(1)Not only free time but the time devoted to housework increase on the day off of husbands. Wives spend less on housework when their husbands are off. However, the degree of decrease is not so large.(2)Time allocations of housewives and married employed females on the day off are different when husbands of both are off. The meaning of the day off is different among housewives and married employed females3.I reach the conclusion that the shorter working time has given good effects on the everyday life of husbands and wives and that some problems of the time use balance among family members and between workday and day off.