2025.09.30（火）所員研究会「Husbands’ participation in housework and wives’ labor supply」（オンライン）

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日時

令和7年9月30日（火）14：00～15：30
※終盤は質疑応答の予定です。

報告者

アジア成長研究所上級研究員
小松翔

テーマ

Husbands’ participation in housework and wives’ labor supply

要旨

Japan’s labor market faces two characteristic work–life balance problems: long working hours among men and an M-shaped curve in married women’s labor-force participation. Against the backdrop of rapid population aging and a falling birthrate, expectations for women’s potential contribution to the labor force have risen. Promoting employment among married women may therefore require not only improvements in workplace conditions but also husbands’ greater involvement in housework and childcare.
This study aims to clarify the effect of husbands’ participation in housework on wives’ labor supply. Using couple panel data from the Keio Household Panel Survey (KHPS) for 2004–2022, we reveal that as the frequency of husbands’ participation in housework increases, the probability of wives engaging in paid work rises, and their weekly working hours also increase. We also find that these effects are particularly pronounced for wives with lower educational attainment, wives with children, and wives not co-residing with their parents. These findings suggest that, in addition to workplace reforms, policy measures that encourage an expanded role for men within the household could be effective in raising married women’s labor-force participation. Specifically, policy design that enables flexible work arrangements for men and initiatives to foster gender-equal attitudes across society are needed.