Developing a theoretical framework of male full-time workers in Japan regarding their attitude toward work-life balance

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25380521
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Management
• Research Institution: Shibaura Institute of Technology (2014-2015); Takasaki University of Commerce (2013)
• Principal Investigator: Kato Kyoko 芝浦工業大学, その他の研究科, 准教授 (20600638)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: ワーク・ライフ・バランス / 男性正規雇用労働者 / エンジニア / 役割の代替性 / エンプロイアビリティ / 育児休業制度 / マトリクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research develops a theoretical framework that explains attitude and behavior of full-time male workers regarding their usage of WLB policy and practices. First, I conduct a series of interviews with full-time male workers who are in most cases engineers. The interviews intended to explore the factors that affect their decisions and attitude regarding the usage of WLB practices, more specifically, the childcare and elderly-care leaves．Froｍ the interviews two key factors were identified: the one is employability (from a workplace) and the other is role substitutability (from home), which affect decisions regarding whether they take childcare and elderly-care leaves. Based on the findings of these factors, I develop a 2 x 2 theoretical framework to explain four (4) types of decision-making that these male workers would take for these leaves. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Free Research Field

経営学