2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Analysis of discourses about "father's use of parental leave" from the perspective of gender : Comparison on the politics of fatherhood between Japan and Europe
| Project/Area Number |
15510213
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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 |
Gender
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| Research Institution | Shizuoka University |
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Principal Investigator |
FUNABASHI Keiko Shizuoka University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, Professor, 人文学部, 教授 (60229101)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2005
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| Keywords | sociology / gender / family policy / father / parental leave / care giver / Europe |
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| Research Abstract |
Thinking work-family balance between gender, "father's use of parental leave" is an important project today. In order to attain gender equality in the society, fathers have to take a parental leave on the same foot as mothers. I focussed on the three levels : micro, macro and meso.
First on the micro level, I analyzed my previous interviews with parents in three countries (France, Japan and Sweden) paying attention to the gender role assignment. I found four overriding family types of sharing housework : egaritarian type, reverse gender role type, women's double role type and men's double role type.
Secondly on the macro level, I made a research travel to France, Norway and Sweden, in order to know about their new schema of parental leave. Although Norway and Sweden have similar daddy months rule, Swedish policy is more innovative than Norwasians, because Swedish government didn't introduce the cash benefit for women who chose staying home. French schema lacks papa quata, but introduced the right of 11 days paid leave to fathers of a new born baby. Japan is the last commer, but is now beginning to change.
Thirdly on the meso level, I interviewed some advanced corporations in Japan. A big competitive company for copy machines gives their workers (male or female) many options of rational flexible working arrangements. A big cosmetic company of many female workers gives them a well equipped on-site-daycare as well as a week of paid leave to male workers. A small company for painting of only 20 workers gives them a personal support financially as well as in working arrangement. These exemples tell us that the innovation depends on the managers ideas.
Through this study, I found more importance on the models of society. Nancy Frazer's 'Universal care giver model' seems interesting.
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Research Products
(6 results)
