Men’s and Women’s Work and Life in the Fukui Model

: The Impact on Gender

Abstract

In Fukui Prefecture, the proportion of three-generation households and the rates of fertility, female regular workers, and women’s labor participation are all higher than the average in Japan. These conditions are highlighted as the ‘Fukui model’. This paper examines how the form of households is related to men’s and women’s work and daily life in Fukui using the micro data set ‘Survey on hope and social life in Fukui’ which was conducted by the Institute of Social Science at Tokyo University in 2014.I find that （１） there is a statistically significant correlation between women’s work and three-generation households that include the woman’s but not the husband’s parents ; （２） Men and women are likely to do less housework when three generations live together ; （３） Men living with their parents are not likely to do childcare.Now that the Abe government is encouraging the formation of three―gener­ation households, it is likely to encourage gender inequality within households.