re-examination of wlb measures of focousing on the scale and region

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23530700
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: Sugiyama Jogakuen University
• Principal Investigator: OGURA SHOKO 椙山女学園大学, 人間関係学部, 准教授 (60383189)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YOSHIDA Akemi 椙山女学園大学, 人間関係学部, 教授 (90330670) ; SUZUKI Naomi 専修大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (10386302)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: ワーク・ライフ・バランス / 企業規模 / 地域 / 中小企業 / 労働時間規制 / 運用

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The results of our study are summarized in the following five statements:
1) Work-life balance (WLB) policies in Japan mainly relate to work-family balance of women. However, concerning men's long work hours, policy development has just begun. 2) The focus of Japanese WLB measures is mainly on large businesses in urban cities. Therefore, small and medium-sized enterprises in regional cities are unable to benefit from the policy. 3) According to our domestic survey results, a common obstacle in implementing such policies is ensuring appropriate working hours, regardless of the city and/or company size. 4) Ensuring appropriate working hours is important, in which both quantity and quality are crucial to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 5) According to our international research, legislation, such as interval regulation, is needed to prohibit long working hours.

Free Research Field

社会政策