University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0536
Survey Title Survey of Attitudes toward Support toward Work-Life Balance among Managers, 2005
Depositor Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office
(Former Name:Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office)
Restriction of Use For detailed information, please refer to 'For Data Users' at SSJDA website.

- Apply to SSJDA. SSJDA's approval required.
Educational Purpose Available for both research and instructional purposes.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
Access to Datasets Download
Nesstar Not available
Summary This survey asks managers of companies about work-life balance support measures such as parental leave to understand the expertise to efficiently use such measures. Its purpose is to survey the experience and opinions of managers whose subordinates used parental leave system to identify specific response measure/issues, etc. when support measures are used.
Data Type quantitative research
quantitative research: micro data
Universe Department managers with employees using company’s parental leave system
Unit of Observation Individual,Organization
Sample Size Number of valid responses: 764 people, total number of questionnaires distributed: 7,000, valid response rate: 10.9%
Date of Collection 2005-01-01 ~ 2005-01-01
2005/01/01
Time Period 2005 ~ 2005
Spatial Unit
Sampling Procedure Mixed probability and non-probability
1,000 companies with a staff size between 100 and 300 employees and 3,000 companies exceeding 300 employees were randomly sampled, based on a list of companies in “Teikoku Databank,” according to industry categories, using a categorization method based on the “Japan Standard Industrial Classification” of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Managers at companies with employees using parental leave system were asked to respond to questionnaires (Regarding companies with no employees using parental leave system, questionnaires were distributed, but these were considered invalid even if collected).

Furthermore, the number of managers asked to respond to the questionnaire was one for every company with a staff size between 100 and 300 employees and two for every company exceeding 300 employees. The total number of questionnaires distributed was 7,000.
Mode of Data Collection Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
- Questionnaires were mailed to human resource managers at each company.
- Human resource departments screened users of parental leave system to be surveyed (hereinafter, “users”); then, they asked managers with employees who had used parental leave system at that time to participate in the survey and sent them questionnaires.
- User conditions were as follows.
 *Users who had used parental leave system in the past three years and had completed their use within the past three years, regardless of when they started.
 *Regular employees still with companies
 *When there were multiple employees who met the above two conditions, they were screened in the following order of priority: (i) men, (ii) previous or current users of “system of reduced work hours for parental duties” together with “parental leave system,” (iii) first-time users.
- Completed questionnaires were directly returned by managers of users at the time without passing through human resource departments.
Investigator Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office,Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.0536
Sponsors (Funds)
Related Publications (by the Investigator) Please refer to the abstract in Japanese.
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation [Questionnaire]
Major Survey Items (1) Company overview (filled in by personnel management officer )
Number of regular employees,total number of users of parental leave system for past three years,number of men among total number of users

(2) Attributes of surveyed parental leave system users (filled in by personnel management officer)
Gender, current age,current years of employment, period of using parental leave system,state of using system of reduced work hours for parental duties,affiliated department/occupation type immediately prior to use of parental leave system

(3) Overview of current workplace (hereinafter, filled in by manager)
Location, industry

(4) Overview of workplace at the time user used system
Official position at the time, number of regular workplace employees managed at the time, female ratio of regular workplace employees at the time, number of non-regular workplace employees at the time, extent of overtime for regular workplace employees at the time, state of introduction of flex-time systems for regular workplace employees at the time, work style of female regular employees at the time

(5) Use of parental leave system by users
Period between requesting and starting it, state of use of parental leave system by people around, users, state of awareness of the system at the time, years of experience necessary if a new hire is to work in the same position, characteristics of users’ work, whether use period is as long as desired

(6) Responses and reactions of people around the users when users used parental leave system
Workplace response,reactions of people toward users,handing over of users’ work duties,career of regular employees who took over the duties, workplace response regarding users’ returning to work,overall workplace productivity compared to before leave,users’ situation of returning to work place,period it takes until user gain back skills

(7) State of users’ use of system of reduced work hours for parental duties
State of awareness of systems at the time, work style while using system of reduced work hours, changes in number of working hours/days, adjustments to content and volume of user’s work, user evaluation during the period of using the system, information and guidance provided by company for user evaluation

(8) Responses and reactions of people around the users when users used system of reduced work hours for parental duties
Workplace response,reactions of people toward users,effects on workplace for using parental leave system and system of reduced work hours for parental duties, general effects in workplace overall, way of using system of reduced work hours in a way believed not to hinder work

(9) Company’s support for employees’ childcare
Reasons company supports employees’ childcare, company’s expectations for smooth operation of systems

(10) Manager’s attributes, etc.
Gender, age, marital status, work status of spouse/partner, presence of children, state of rearing preschool children, whether or not spouse/partner worked before children start schooling/form of employment, thoughts on women having an occupation, pros and cons of idea that “husbands work outside, and women protect the home,” thoughts on male participation in childrearing, etc.
Date of Release 2007/09/26
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Working conditions
Family life and marriage
Specific social services: use and availability
Topics in SSJDA Employment/Labor
Version 1 : 2007-09-26
Notes for Users