2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Anthropological study of work-life balance policies and practices: A case of the Netherlands
| Project/Area Number |
22520823
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Cultural anthropology/Folklore
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| Research Institution | Okayama University |
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Principal Investigator |
NAKATANI Ayami 岡山大学, 社会文化科学研究科, 教授 (90288697)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2010-04-01 – 2014-03-31
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| Keywords | ジェンダー / 社会政策 / 労働 / オランダ / ケア / 生活時間 |
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| Research Abstract |
This study has aimed to explore the inter-relatedness between policies concerning the promotion of "work-life balance" and people's daily practices. A series of new labour legislations consequently narrowed the gap in rights, benefits and earnings between full-time and part-time work. Part-time employment has become the standard way of working for Dutch women, especially those with children, as a viable strategy to combine work and family.
The analysis of various surveys, policy documents as well as in-depth interviews with Dutch women and men revealed the fact that the current Dutch situation is not a simple outcome of so-called "work-life balance" policies or economic demands. Rather, the increase of women's entry into the labour market and their preferences for part-time contracts are the result of a complex interplay of changes in social values, economic situation, legislative measures as well as women's increasing aspirations for redefining their position in society.
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