抄録
Family labor pattern of Japanese farm family during the 50 years period from late 1950’s to early 2000’s was discussed utilizing micro-level longitudinal time allocation data obtained from diary surveys in rice cropping communities （one in Okayama and the other in Yamagata）. Family labor is defined as consisting of production labor and reproduction labor under farm family enterprise. The former includes farm work and off-farm work. The latter includes domestic work, rearing and caring.
During the 50 years, farming in Japan was characterized by the increase of productivity yielded by mechanization. At the same time, Japanese society, as a whole, experienced economic growth. As to reproduction labor, gender difference remains all the period. It is women who perform reproduction labor besides production labor. Men seldom perform reproduction labor. As to production labor, the amount measured by time did not change much. However, the composition of production labor changed. The share of off-farm work increased while that of farm work decreased. Cyclical change in the composition of production labor also diminished. These trends are clear among younger members. It means that off-farm work has come to be critical factor in farm family enterprise. Looking at regional difference, we observe change in production labor more in Okayama than in Yamagata.
