Abstract
At the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (WSSD) the need for “sustainable consumption” was once emphasized as UNCED. This paper aims to clarify the relationship between time use and “sustainable consumption” within the household. Data obtained from the time use survey and questionnaire in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo (2000), has been used. 1) On the whole, just as in the 1995 study, wives tended to exemplify “sustainable consumption” more than husbands and employment for wives had some effect on gender within the household. 2) Symbolic of this is the trend of a lack of activity performed in relation to strong feeling of need for lifestyle change, especially in husbands with unemployed wives. This shows a risk of assignment of “sustainable consumption activities” based on gender. 3) However, the response “pressure from spouse (wife)” in regards to why environmentally responsible consumer behavior was performed has increased. “Sustainable consumption” related gender bias “within the household” becomes clear and the capability to do away with this is also visible. 4) “Social activities/consumer activities” increases have been shown in participation rates and time spent. 5) Gender bias with automobile use is the issue that should be addressed along with environmental policy in future.
