Emerging Varieties of Life Style in Married Men: The New Type of Being Free from “the Only Provider Role”

Abstract

　　The purpose of this study is (1)to show 3 types of men' life style on the assumption that they have different kinds of preference for the balance between work and family life, (2) to identify the significant factors to life satisfaction in each type, and(3)to examine whether or not they expect to make themselves free from the only provider role in the house hold.

　　Participants were 391 married men having a 3-4 year-old child. According to the ratio of investments to their job, family life, and personal activity, 3 types of life style were classified. (1) “Job+personal activity” is to invest half of their energy to job and the other half to family life and personal activity. (2) “Job only” is to absorb themselves in their job with more than 70% of their energy. (3) “Job=family life” is to divide their energy into job and family life equally. These 3 types had different psychological and behavioral features.

　　The amount of income was correlated with their life satisfaction in the “Job+personal activity” type, while it was correlated with their job satisfaction in the other 2 types. This result may suggest that the effectiveness as a provider role is important to their identity for men of the “Job+personal activity” type. Among men of the “Job=family life” type, job satisfaction was highly correlated with family life satisfaction, and their relative contribution to the provider role in their household had a negative effect to their life satisfaction. Furthermore, the mean score of agreement to “gender equality” of this type was significantly higher than the other 2 types. It is argued that the “Job=family life” type is a new one among men, as the men of that type may choose their life style voluntarily based on their own sense of value to gender equality.