Work Life Balance and Childrearing of Fathers-A Comparative Study of Japan, Sweden and EU

本研究探讨了日本父亲养育子女和工作生活平衡的影响因素，并与瑞典和其他欧盟国家进行了比较。我们的宏观和微观层面的分析表明，日本在WLB方面存在两个差距--性别差距和现有政策与实际做法之间的差距。为了提高人们的S劳动能力，至关重要的是，首先，日本的家庭政策总体上必须以“双重收入者/双重照顾者”为特征的家庭结构为前提，保证所有父母既有工作又有养育子女的权利。其次，重要的是建立一个工作环境，使员工能够利用旨在在工作和家庭生活之间建立平衡的政策。公司迫切需要做出替代人员安排，这样当工人利用现有的儿童保育支持政策时，其他雇员的负担就不会随之而来。

This study explored the factors which affect fathers' childrearing and work life balance(WLB) in Japan in comparison to Sweden and other EU countries. Our macro-and micro-level analyses show two existing gaps in Japan with regard to WLB-gender gap and the gap between existing policies and actual practices. In order to increase people' s WLB-related capabilities, it is critical that, first of all, family policy in Japan on the whole become premised upon a family structure characterized by" dual earners/ dual caretakers" that guarantees all parents the right to both work and raise children. Secondly, it is important to establish a working environment in which employees could utilize policies aimed at establishing a balance between work and home lives. There is a pressing need for companies to make alternate staffing arrangements so that burdens on the other employees do not ensue when workers avail themselves of existing childcare support policies.