Gender Inequality: Work and Family Conflict in Contemporary Japan

The number of dual-earner households has increased during the last several decades in Japan. Nevertheless, women still perform most of the housework, despite being employed full time. The issue of work and family conflict—particularly for female workers—has drawn the attention of policy makers, because it has often been associated with the issues of low marriage and fertility rates. Thus, in order to create family-friendly work environment, many Japanese companies have recently begun implementing policies such as overtime work restriction for employees with young children, enhancement of employees’ discretion over the pace and schedule of work, and introduction of various work-life balance measures. On one hand, these policies are expected to facilitate the continuous employment of women. On the other hand, their effects on household management—how spouses divide housework and communicate with each other—are uncertain, because these policies are often created taking into account women’s responsibilities at home and aim to reduce women’s work and family conflict. Gender biases may affect the way spouses divide the housework and communicate with each other. This paper examines the impact of family-friendly work environment on (1) the division of housework between spouses and (2) the frequency of communication (conversation and having meals together) between spouses. The Japanese Life Course Panel Survey (JLPS), a national longitudinal survey of the youth and middle-aged in Japan (i.e., individuals from 20 to 40 years old), was used in this research.