The objectives of this paper are to point out problems in Japanese “family-friendly” companies by investigating employees' work-life balance, and to discuss the influence of the two-track employment management system on “family-friendly” and gender-equal policies. Previous studies have not paid sufficient attention to issues relating to work-life balance. This study interviewed eight female employees of a bank, including some who had left the firm (“family-friendly” company). The survey was conducted from January to August 2005. Three main conclusions are drawn from the results: (1) Employees in this company found the “family-friendly” policies not very supportive for achieving work-life balance. (2) “Family-friendly” policies offered neither male nor female employees enough time for family responsibilities. (3) The “family-friendly” policies, under the two-track employment management system, do not guarantee essential gender equality between men and women in the workplace. After demonstrating the above, this paper suggests two principal policy implications of these findings. Firstly, “family-friendly” companies should be family-friendly for both full-time and part-time employees. Secondly, we can safely say that “family-friendly” and gender-equal conditions in the workplace can not be achieved without abolishing indirect discrimination, such as the two-track employment management system.

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The velocity of the first molar was measured while eating various foods in a natural way and investigated in relation to the mechanical properties of the foods eaten. A masseter myograph simultaneously made a measurement for identification of the first bite. A small disk type magnet was placed on the cheek side of the gum of the first molar. The magnetic field vector was measured by a three dimensional Hall probe and converted to the movement of the first molar on mastication. The maximum mastication velocity of the molar at the first bite was found to be 37-74 mm/s depending on the food. The velocity decreases as the Young's modulus of the tested food increases. Changes in the velocity of the molar from the beginning of mastication to swallowing were assessed for 22 kinds of food. Then the foods were divided into three groups. (A) Mastication velocity changes little while chewing, then decreases for bolus preparation. (B) Chewing velocity increases gradually at the initial stage of chewing. (C) Initial fast mastication velocity decreases steadily but evenly.

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The effects of the lining on semi-flared skirts were investigated for wearing evaluation and observation of the hemline. We tested six skirts with two different types of lining cutting patterns combined with three kinds of conventional lining fabrics (cupro, special polyester with a characteristic softness, and regular polyester). The first pattern was a flared pattern having the same contour as the outer fabric (i.e. flared pattern), and the second was of a straight contour with slits on each side (i.e. straight pattern). Thirteen female university students tested and evaluated the comfort of each skirt. The test results showed that skirts with the flared pattern were more comfortable than those with the straight pattern, especially in terms of easiness of body movement. Also, cupro lining ranked higher than other linings in the tactile sensation on the skin. Using the motion analysis method, we observed the hemlines of the outer fabrics and the lining fabrics of the skirts worn on a mannequin, in static and dynamic states. The hemline area of skirts in static state was larger and symmetric in flared linings. The hemline area and hemline travel distance were larger, while space between outer and lining fabrics was smaller in dynamic state in skirts with flared linings than with straight linings. The two fabrics were found to move together in skirts with flared linings, the fact that can be suggested as the reason for more functional mobility. Cupro linings covered smaller hemline areas, but exhibited the most travel ditance and movement with great dynamism. We consider this to be related to the bending and shearing properties of the linings. These results imply that both lining patterns and physical properties of the lining fabrics influence the silhouette as well as comfort.

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