How to promote men’s participation in housework and childcare?　How to design the future of the family?　The Tokyo Metropolitan Government hosted the “TOKYO Conference for Women to Shine – Changing Workplaces! Change the consciousness! ～When we asked Ms. Kaori Hayashida, representative of Wanda Life LLP, who served as moderator at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government-sponsored “Papa’s Style: Let’s Get Started,” for tips, the phrase “Team Our House” jumped out.

Designing the shape and future of the family

　At the symposium, various initiatives by companies and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government were introduced. More and more companies are supporting maternity and childcare leave, such as Mercari, for which guest Fumiaki Koizumi serves as chairman of the board, and support for housework and childcare by the local government is also expanding. The materials available to promote men’s participation in housework and childcare are all in place. The question now is how each family can combine these resources and design the shape and future of their family.

　In designing this project, we would like to introduce the concept of “Team Our Home”. For couples who are busy with housework and childcare at home and work at the office, the key to successfully balancing life and work is not to try to do it alone. Involve the people around you who can help you with housework and childcare, utilize useful tools, and work as a team to balance life and work. This is the concept of “Team Our Home. In the past, we used to form teams that included grandparents and people in the community as members, but today’s environment is different. Take advantage of the various resources that are unique to today’s world to form a team.

Utilize resources of “people,” “things,” and “goods.

　So, what kind of resources do we have? Let’s think in terms of “people,” “things,” and “goods. First, let’s look at “people. In addition to grandparents, other “people” include friends of mothers and fathers who are raising children in the same way as us, as well as silver supporters in the community. In addition, your boss and coworkers at work are also “human” resources. The home and the workplace cannot be considered in isolation. The cooperation of the workplace is essential to the operation of the home, and the cooperation of the home is essential to the operation of the workplace.

　These “things” include support systems in the workplace, local government support systems, public services, and private services such as housekeeping, babysitting, dry cleaning, laundromat, online shopping, and food delivery.

　And “things” include home appliances that make housework easier, such as dishwashers and robot vacuum cleaners, smartphone apps, and take-out prepared foods.

　Let us examine what resources are available around us and what “Team Our Home” needs to do. The simultaneous closure of schools due to the new coronavirus caused confusion in many areas, but I feel that the key to minimizing the confusion was to have “Team Our Home” in place to make the best use of resources.

Adding Social to Life and Work

　We often use the term “life-work balance,” but it is my opinion that we should not only focus on “life” and “work,” but also on “social. Social” refers to the “society” surrounding the home and workplace.

　Local communities such as neighborhood associations and town councils, as well as kindergartens, nursery schools, and centers of learning where children attend are social, and the communities of fathers and mothers connected through these places are also social. In addition to life and work, we will look at social and recruit members for “Team Our Home. The more people who think and work together on the team, the less work dads and moms will have to do. If members with diverse values join the team, they will broaden their children’s perspectives. It is also important to be aware that we ourselves are helping other families.

Communication between husband and wife essential for team management

　The team building process starts with a discussion by the couple. What kind of people, things, and things will be included in the team? What will be important to the family? If you have established major policies at the beginning, you will be able to manage the team flexibly, even if the children grow up or the work environment changes.

　It is important to note, however, that when raising a child, a couple’s conversations tend to be biased toward the three domestic business communications: reporting, requests, and scheduling. Business communication will often fail to convey each person’s thoughts and feelings. This can lead to misunderstandings that can cause confusion in team management.

　To avoid such a situation, couples should actively try to find a topic of conversation and talk about something other than business communication. You can start by talking about your children and then develop into a memorable conversation about them. You can talk about the events of the day or the news. You can talk about yourself or something you find interesting and ask the other person what they think. As you converse, your interest in each other will grow. This will lead to the next topic of conversation. Close communication between husband and wife is essential for the healthy operation of “Team Our House.