Socialization of Domestic Labor and Time Use for Dual Income Couples in Fukui

Abstract

Fukui prefecture serves as an excellent model for the resolution of many social problems in Japan. We focused on the issue of women being able to continue working. These three points express the aim of this study.1. We investigate the situation of the domestic labor hours of employed wives and the sociali­zation of domestic labor in households.2. We examine the effect of the socialization of domestic labor in two household types （three-generation households and two-generation （parents and children） households）.3. We examine the influence that the degree of socialization of domestic labor has on gender equality in households.The results of our time-use survey and questionnaire show that the domestic labor time of wives is about 2 hours 30 minutes on weekdays and 6 hours 45 minutes on holidays. We selected dishwashers, washers and dryers, and robotic cleaners to represent socialization of domestic labor. In Fukui, the ownership rate of these three household appliances is higher than the national average.The domestic labor time of wives in three-generation households is longer than that of the wives in two-generation （parents and children） households. The study found that the higher the degree of socialization of domestic labor, the fewer the domestic labor hours worked by men.