Social Policy for the Coordination of Work and Care in Germany

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26301030
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Social welfare and social work studies
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA Yoko 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 教授 (90202176)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 労働時間 / ワーク・ライフ・バランス / 仕事とケア / パートタイム / 時間の柔軟化 / ドイツ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In Japan balancing work and care has been a serious social challenge in recent years. Focusing on Germany, this study explored what kind of institutional conditions, both legally and in practice in corporations, have contributed to improve the basic balance of work and care, in comparison with Japan. In result, not only in the times of childbirth, childbearing, and family care, or working of elder ages, it has been a substantial method to make working hours very flexible, without devaluation of working conditions, except proportionate salaries. Including recurrent studies, this flexible working hours, mainly based on the hope of employees, could be utilized to make better work and care. Recently going back and forth between full-time work and part-time work was also institutionalized.
In Japan, where the short working hours could inevitably lead to precarious working condition, German challenges for balancing work and care could be very suggestive.

Free Research Field

社会科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

この研究は、日本でのワーク・ライフ・バランス政策を考える上での示唆を与えると同時に、日本で非正規雇用の増加が続いて正規雇用との労働条件の差がついている状況の変革についても大きなヒントを与えている。つまり、育児や介護など、個人や家族の中でケアが求められる状況になった時に、しばしばフルタイムの正規雇用では勤め続けられない状況に陥る日本に対して、正規雇用のまま労働時間を大きく弾力化することによって仕事とケアとを両立できることをドイツは示している。