Masculinity in Service/Knowledge Economy: Basic Research on the Changes of Welfare-Employment Regime

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23530641
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University (2012-2014); Tohoku University (2011)
• Principal Investigator: IMAI Jun 北海道大学, 文学研究科, 准教授 (30545653)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 男性性の変化 / 雇用の多様化 / 産業構造の転換

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research examined the impacts of the industrial structural change and the employment diversification on Japan's gender order focusing on men. Salaryman-masculinity, the hegemonic masculinity in Japan, was shaped tightly associated with the development of Japanese-style labor management. Thus it is expected that its change can be observed as the results of the changing employment relations. Drawing evidences from the researches at five small firms, including the interviews to management and labor, questionnaire survey to 526 employees (response rate 51.7%) and 23 employee interviews, there are two major findings. Regular workers are so tightly integrated to their employing firms that they do less domestic works than they expect themselves to do. Non-regular workers tend to take distance from the requirements of flexibility and commitment to the firms, the hegemonic cultural requirement in the society. However their employment status cannot provide legitimacy to their choices.

Free Research Field

社会学