31DiscussionOverall Trend of Future Time AllocationGender Differences and the Disparity between the Prospective and the IdealThis study primarily aimed to assess Japanese college students’ time allocation and examine differ-ences in prospective and ideal time allocation as well as gender differences. Generally, the most amount of time was allocated to paid work for both prospective and ideal aspects, suggesting that for young Japanese people, labor is a central element in their future life plans. Meanwhile, the least amount of time was allocated to learning in both prospective and ideal dimensions. The trend of these time allocations was consistent with the results from the latest time-use survey in Japan （Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2022）, which reported that longer time was allocated to work and work-related activities, while shorter time was allotted to learning, self-education, and training. Likewise, Adachi （2018a）, which examined the time allo-cation of working parents, reported that the most amount of time was allocated to paid work, and the least amount of time was allotted to learning/study. These findings confirm the echo effect （Fernández, Fogli, & Olivetti, 2004）, in which the practices of the current generation are reflected in the future generation. Regarding household roles, longer time for housework and childcare was allocated to the prospective than the ideal aspect. A closer examination of the prospective and ideal dimensions reveals that prospective time spent on household roles was longer than on leisure, while ideal time spent on household roles was shorter than on leisure, indicating a difference between realistic and hopeful outlooks.With respect to time allocation as a social norm, paid work time was allotted more than twice as much for men as for women, while for housework and childcare, more than twice as much time was allocated to women as to men. This reflects the gender difference in time allocation to paid and unpaid work discussed in the introduction section （Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2022） and indicates that the current younger gen-eration recognizes the persistent gender norms for men and women. Similarly, research examining college students’ future family aspirations and career aspirations confirmed the effect of social norms on aspiration. Specifically, female students were more likely to invest in their own careers the more they perceived that many women were doing the same, and male students were more likely to invest in their own families the more they thought men should do so （Meeussen, Veldman, & Van, 2016）. In the current study, the supplementary analysis results showed the effect of social norms on the prospective childcare time for both men and women. Therefore, it is informative not only to examine the individual’s orientation and thoughts on gender roles but also to capture how they perceive the predominant social norms in society.The results on the disparity between prospective and ideal time allocations and the differences between men and women yielded some noteworthy findings. Regarding unpaid work, women allocated longer time than men in both the prospective and ideal aspects for domestic roles of housework and child-rearing. This reflects the traditional view of gender roles that persists in Japan, that is, associating women with unpaid work at home. These results are consistent with the abovementioned gender differences in reality, where longer time was allocated to domestic work for women （Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2022）,
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