The Proportion of Women and Workplace Flexibility in Japanese Work Organizations

• In Event: 161 - Section on Organizations, Occupation and Work Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 16. Flexible Work and Family Leave Policies

Abstract

This study explores organizational characteristic associated with workplace flexibility in Japanese work organizations. Specifically, we examine whether and how proportion of women at work is related to Japanese employers’ provision of flexible work policies for their employees. We discuss how this workplace characteristic is likely to be associated with employers’ family responsiveness based on theories of organizational behavior, and test these hypotheses using data collected in electric/electronic industry in Japan. Results indicate that proportion of full-time women at work negatively influences employers’ adoption of policies that possibly change traditional ways of working in Japanese firms, such as flextime and option for working at home. Results also revealed that proportion of part-timers among women tends to reduce the likelihood that flexible work policies are provided. We also found that employer’s sex discriminatory human resource management tends to prevent the employer provision of policies. Directions for future research are discussed.

Authors

• Tetsushi Fujimoto, Doshisha University

• Sayaka Kawamura Shinohara, Doshisha University