Columns that reveal the world
- Getting up close and personal with the researchers -

Work-life balance, which means "harmony between work and life," is a concept that aims to achieve both work and life outside of work with a sense of fulfillment without sacrificing either. When talking about work-life balance in Japan, a particular issue is the low rate at which men take childcare leave*1. In Canada, where I spent two years from 2002 as a visiting researcher, the rate at which men take parental leave was 2.9% in 2000, and the country was facing the same barrier as Japan. However, this figure has since increased dramatically, exceeding 30% in 2009.

Changes in parental leave rates in Canada

Compiled based on data obtained from Statistics Canada

When we investigated this success story using literature surveys and data analysis, an interesting fact came to light. The Canadian province of Quebec introduced its own parental insurance system in 2006. This system was designed with a strong focus on encouraging fathers to take parental leave, and this led to a sharp increase in the rate at which fathers took up the system. In fact, it was found that not only this, but the total fertility rate*2 also increased. The rate at which fathers take parental leave has some impact on the birth rate. We consider this to be a very important fact.

Trends in parental leave uptake in Quebec and provinces other than Quebec

Compiled based on data obtained from Statistics Canada

Trends in total fertility rates in Quebec and provinces other than Quebec

Compiled based on data obtained from Statistics Canada

Other countries I am interested in as research subjects are South Korea, which has similar values to Japan, and Germany. In Germany, the rate of fathers receiving parental allowances has also increased in recent years, so I plan to investigate and analyze what policies are being implemented there. While keeping an eye on various countries, I would like to ultimately use this to foster understanding of work-life balance in Japan.

*1 According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's "Basic Survey on Employment Equality," 2007 The year is 1. 56 %, 2022 The year is 17.13 %.

*2 1 The number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. Age-specific fertility rates 15 From age 49 This is the total including age.

My current research project was initiated by my experiences in the workforce. After graduating from university, I worked as an international flight attendant for about two years, where I first learned about in-house training. Until then, I had always thought of "education" as "school," but I was surprised to learn that companies have well-equipped training facilities and training systems, and that systematic educational activities are carried out. I wanted to explore in-house training in depth, so I decided to quit my job and go to graduate school. In the United States and Canada, in-house training is included in "adult education," but in Japan, it is education other than school education or home education, that is, education that takes place in society, so I went to graduate school to study "social education." My first research topic was the concept of "career development," which captures people's growth and development centered on work. From there, I faced the urgent issue of declining birthrates in Japan, and began to deal with work-life balance, which is closely related to this theme.

University of The University of British Columbia (Canada) campus

Under the cherry blossoms in front of the laboratory where I stayed as a visiting researcher (March 25, 2003)

The concepts of career development and work-life balance are very similar. Both are aimed at all working people, and both focus on childcare, elderly care, learning activities, community activities, volunteer activities, and so on in addition to work. However, there is one big difference. The idea of career development is somewhat optimistic, believing that people grow through the relationship between work and their other parts of their lives. In contrast, with work-life balance, There is a conflict between work and other parts of your life Therefore, the study of work-life balance leads to making an effort to eliminate conflicts.

If we consider that the opportunities for career development arise as a result of such efforts, then we can say that career development and work-life balance are inseparably related. Furthermore, in Japan, work-life balance is highly related to the issue of declining birthrates and is closely linked to national policy, so we are always keeping an eye on the social background as we conduct our research.

Work-life balance is often thought of as a set of "work style reform" and "rest style reform," but in the era of 100-year life spans, we need to add "learning style reform." This is where we focus on recurrent education*3 and reskilling*4. Recurrent education itself is an old concept proposed by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) in 1973, but in Japan it has been gradually reshaped and has been attracting attention again in recent years. However, at present, there is a lot of confusion about both recurrent education and reskilling, so it is necessary to carefully examine and consider how to organize and tackle them. The process of moving forward while repeatedly learning and discovering new issues that emerge one after another is the true joy and excitement of research.

*3 Learning at the necessary timing after entering society, It is a cycle of work and education.

*4 In order to respond to technological innovation and changes in business models, It means learning the skills you need.

When interpreting materials, I do not blindly accept the numbers and descriptions in front of me, but rather I look critically at the survey methods, correctly grasp the situation of each respondent, and look at things from multiple angles to gather real voices from the field. The reason I place such importance on this series of processes is that, based on my experience working in a company, I place importance on "research that does not diverge from the real world." It is important to pursue ideals, but it is also important to calmly look at reality and the actual situation and not diverge from them. This is something I always try to keep in mind as the attitude a researcher should have.

When I explained in class the research results about the increase in the rate of men taking parental leave in Canada that I mentioned at the beginning, a reaction paper said that the population of Quebec (about 8.9 million people) is roughly the same as the population of Kanagawa Prefecture, and that it seems realistic if you think of a municipality the size of Kanagawa Prefecture taking action, which made sense to me. It reminded me once again that one of the basics when comparing Japan with other countries is to take population size into account.

This prompted me to look at other Canadian provinces besides Quebec and research their total fertility rates. I then discovered that in 2022, there was only one province with a higher total fertility rate than Quebec: Saskatchewan, a province with a population of approximately 1.2 million. Since Quebec had introduced its own provincial parental insurance system, I had only looked at the data from the perspective of "Quebec and the rest." Thanks to the students' reaction papers, I was able to make a "small discovery."

Research is a series of small discoveries made every day, and I hope that all students will treasure these accumulations. The connections between these small discoveries will surely shape a rich future. I hope that you will also acquire the ability to persevere in facing "questions that do not have clear answers."

In recent years, due to changes in the times and social conditions, it has become easier to use systems such as shortened working hours. In that sense, work style reform may be progressing. However, there are new concerns as to whether it is actually leading to "career development" and "job satisfaction." "Work-life balance" requires not only ease of work, but also factors that make people feel fulfilled. We will continue to challenge our never-ending life's work together with students, aiming to realize a diverse society where each individual can experience personal growth and maximize their abilities.