新型コロナウイルス感染症の影響下におけるワーク・ライフ・バランス, Work-life Balance, Well-being, and Productivity with Remote Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

新型コロナウイルス感染症蔓延への対応として、外出自粛が求められるとともに、仕事面でもテレワークの導入が促進されることになった。そのため、従来よりも長い時間家庭に留まる人が増えた。本稿はテレワークの急速な普及が夫婦間における家事・育児負担感や実際の時間、各人の満足度や主観的な生産性等にどのように影響したかについて、内閣府が行った「新型コロナウイルス感染症の影響下における生活意識・行動の変化に関する調査」を用いて子育て世帯を中心に分析した。その結果、子どもをもつ男性の場合、テレワークを実施した人は、それをしなかった人と比べて、家事・育児負担感とその実際の時間が感染症拡大前と比べて増えたこと、生活満足度は高まるが、生産性は低くなったと感じていることが明らかになった。一方、子どもをもつ女性の場合、テレワークを実施した人は、それをしなかった人に比べて家事・育児負担が増えたと回答する傾向があるものの、それにもかからず、実際の育児・家事時間や生活満足度にテレワーク実施有無の差はなかった。主観的にみた生産性については、正規雇用の女性の場合は、テレワークを実施した人は、それをしなかった人に比べて高かったが、非正規雇用の女性の場合は、逆に低くなった。男性、女性ともに、2020年５月には感染症拡大前に比べて仕事の生産性、労働時間、すべての満足度指標は大きく落ち込んだものの、多くの指標は徐々に回復がみられた。最新データの2021年秋では、仕事満足度、社会とのつながり、生活の楽しさについては、依然、感染症拡大前の水準には回復していない。特に、未婚者の満足度指標の回復が遅れている。一方、子どものいる男女の場合、家事・育児時間や家族と過ごす時間については増加して、感染症拡大前の水準よりも高くとどまっており、人々が家庭や生活に従来よりウェイトを置いたワーク・ライフ・バランスの方向に今後大きく変わっていくかもしれない。, The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly required that many people work remotely. Using the Survey on Changes in Attitudes and Behaviors Resulting from the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, which was conducted by the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan, we examine the impact of the pandemic on work-life conditions in Japan, such as work productivity, subjective well-being, and the division of housework between spouses, during the past two years of this pandemic. Compared to prepandemic levels, both married men with children and married women with children reported that they have increased their share of both housework and childcare and the hours spent on housework and childcare, as well as the time spent with their family members. They also report that their job productivity has declined. Married men who worked remotely reported that, compared to prepandemic times, they had assumed a greater share of housework and were spending more time on it; in addition, they also shared more time with their family compared to those who did not work remotely. They also reported a greater level of life satisfaction than those who did not work remotely. In regard to work productivity, married men who worked remotely reported lower productivity than those who did not work remotely. So the increase in participation in household activities by married men who work remotely may have come at a cost of reduced work productivity. In contrast, married women with children who worked remotely reported that, compared to prepandemic times, they bore a greater share of both housework and childcare compared to those who did not work remotely; however, the time they spent on housework and childcare and the time spent with their family were not significantly different from those who did not work remotely. The life-satisfaction level of married women with children was also not significantly different from those who did not work remotely. In regard to work productivity, married women with children in regular employment who worked remotely reported higher productivity since the pandemic, while those in nonregular employment reported lower productivity. For both men and women, various well-being measures (including life satisfaction, job satisfaction, health satisfaction, easiness of childcare, social ties, and life enjoyment) all dropped significantly, compared to prepandemic levels, by May 2020, when the first survey was conducted soon after the pandemic had begun, but gradually returned to prepandemic levels in October 2021, when the fourth and most recent survey was conducted; however, three of the six well-being measures (namely, job satisfaction, social ties and life enjoyment) had not yet returned to prepandemic levels by October 2021. Unmarried men were lagging behind married men in their levels of well-being in October 2021, especially in their well-being regarding social ties and life enjoyment.