Challenges in Work-Family Balance and Support Needs of Japanese Parents with Nursery School-Aged Children  

作　　者：Yuko Shimoda Miyuki Ishii Yuichi Hori Yuko Shimoda;Miyuki Ishii;Yuichi Hori(Faculty of Nursing, Kyoto Tachibana University, Kyoto, Japan;College of Nursing Art and Science, University of Hyogo, Akashi, Japan;Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan)

机构地区：[1]Faculty of Nursing, Kyoto Tachibana University, Kyoto, Japan [2]College of Nursing Art and Science, University of Hyogo, Akashi, Japan [3]Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan

出　　处：《Health》2023年第6期622-639,共18页健康（英文）

摘　　要：We aimed to identify the challenges parents face raising preschool-aged children when trying to maintain a good work-family balance. We also highlight how public health nurses can support the community in this regard. Seven Japanese parents volunteered to participate, and individual in-depth interviews were conducted from May to October 2021. We analyzed the recorded interview data using qualitative descriptive methods. Three main themes concerning work-family balance challenges were extracted: 1) conflicts between parents’ childcare and work roles, 2) issues related to institutions and social systems, and 3) a lack of informal support. Factors contributing to the difficulties were a lack of time to spend with their children;an imbalance in the division of housework and childcare roles between married couples;the employment environment in Japan that makes it difficult to pursue a career while raising children;a lack of childcare services, including childcare for sick children;inadequate consultation systems;and an aging grandparents’ generation owing to late marriages. To solve this problem, we suggest that in addition to establishing a reliable system for providing childcare, local public health nurses should work with childcare workers to create an environment in which parents feel comfortable discussing work-family balance, considering the time constraints of parents during the childrearing period, and use nursery schools as a place for parent-child support.We aimed to identify the challenges parents face raising preschool-aged children when trying to maintain a good work-family balance. We also highlight how public health nurses can support the community in this regard. Seven Japanese parents volunteered to participate, and individual in-depth interviews were conducted from May to October 2021. We analyzed the recorded interview data using qualitative descriptive methods. Three main themes concerning work-family balance challenges were extracted: 1) conflicts between parents’ childcare and work roles, 2) issues related to institutions and social systems, and 3) a lack of informal support. Factors contributing to the difficulties were a lack of time to spend with their children;an imbalance in the division of housework and childcare roles between married couples;the employment environment in Japan that makes it difficult to pursue a career while raising children;a lack of childcare services, including childcare for sick children;inadequate consultation systems;and an aging grandparents’ generation owing to late marriages. To solve this problem, we suggest that in addition to establishing a reliable system for providing childcare, local public health nurses should work with childcare workers to create an environment in which parents feel comfortable discussing work-family balance, considering the time constraints of parents during the childrearing period, and use nursery schools as a place for parent-child support.

关 键 词：Childrearing PARENT Public Health Nurse Work-Family Balance 

分 类 号：H31[语言文字—英语]