Comparative studies on the work-life balance in firms between Sweden, the Netherlands and Japan

瑞典和荷兰以其更好的工作与生活平衡模式而闻名。然而，什么样的政策和理念能很好地将工作和生活结合起来呢？我们的研究结果表明，首先是工作时间的缩短。其次，对于照顾孩子的工作父母来说，良好的工作与家庭平衡（WFB）也很重要。长时间的父母假期和高质量的托儿设施是达到良好WLB的必要手段。此外，重要的是要将育儿视为社会公民的权利，以丰富这种父母休假和育儿服务。要想像瑞典那样推广WLF，就需要一种新的社会公民权观念。新型家庭模式；两人挣钱养家，两人都照顾孩子的家庭模式正在出现。但是荷兰和日本的模式仍然是传统的家庭模式，因此，公共支持的托儿设施并不多，因为母亲在家照顾孩子。第三，性别平等的强烈共识对于实现工作平衡和工作家庭平衡也至关重要。第四，工作与生活平衡政策与社会理念密切相关，也就是说，在社会中，“选择的可能性”对所有人平等开放，支持个人的需求和希望，让他们这样做，那样做。WLB是实现“选择可能性”并使之成为现实的最重要的政策之一。这些是我们通过研究得出的结果。

Sweden and the Netherlands are countries known for their better work-life balance (WLB) models. However, what policies and ideas combine work and life well? The results of our research show that first is shortening of working hours. Second, a good work-family balance (WFB) for working parents who are caring children is also important to WLB. Long parent leaves and high-quality childcare facilities are essential means to reach the good WLB. In addition, it is important that childcare should be considered as the right of social citizenship in order to enrich such parents leave and childcare services. A new idea of rights of social citizenship is needed to promote WLF like Sweden. A new family model ; the both bread-winner/both care family model is emerging. However, the model of Netherlands and Japan remains in the traditional family model, Therefore, public supported childcare facilities are not so many because mothers care children at home. Third, the strong consensus on gender equality is also crucial to achieve WLB and WFB work-family balance. Fourth, work-life balance policies links greatly with the idea of society, that is, the society where the 'possibility of choice' is open equally to all the people and that supports individual needs and hopes for them to do this and to be that. WLB is one of most important policies to achieve the 'possibility of choice' and to make it come true. These are the results that we have reached with our research.