Editorial: Japan quickly needs to make men’s child care leave the norm

In fiscal 2023, the rate of men in Japan who took child care leave reached 30.1%, surpassing 30% for the first time and jumping 13 percentage points from the previous year. The length of leave also increased, with fewer men taking less than two weeks off and more opting for a month or longer. We hope this will be a step toward a society where it is the norm for men and women to equally share housework and child care.

Behind the rising acquisition rate is the fact that the government now requires companies to confirm workers’ intentions regarding child care leave when they report pregnancy or childbirth. The introduction of a flexible system that allows workers to split their period of child care leave into a maximum of four parts is also believed to have played a part.

Having said that, the gap in acquisition rates between men and women remains large: Over 80% of women take child care leave, with more than 90% of those who do taking at least half a year off. The disparity is attributable to the fact that long working hours have become the norm for regular company employees, many of whom are men, while the burden of housework and raising children tends to fall on women — which is also considered as one of the factors contributing to Japan’s low birth rate.

The government is accordingly promoting men’s use of child care leave as a pillar of measures to combat the low birth rate. It aims to achieve an acquisition rate of 50% in 2025 and 85% in 2030. To further encourage men to take leave, from April next year, benefits will be increased for husbands who take leave during the same period as their wives immediately after childbirth.

Improvements to workplace environments are also essential. A survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found that one in four men were harassed by their bosses or others when they tried to take child care leave. Child care leave, however, is a worker’s right. It is managers’ responsibility to make accommodations such as by providing staffing so that workers can take maternity or paternity leave without reservations.

Nevertheless, it is difficult for companies with no leeway in staff numbers to prepare such systems. The smaller the company, the lower the uptake of child care leave tends to be.

This year, the government expanded subsidies for replacement personnel. From next spring, the rule requiring companies with more than 1,000 employees to disclose their child care leave rates among men will be extended to apply to those with over 300 employees.

The attitudes of the younger generations are also changing. A labor ministry survey found that 80% of men aged between 18 and 25 wanted to take child care leave, with 30% of them hoping to take six months or more off.

If companies don’t accept such attitudes, they will not be able to secure human resources. As soon as possible, Japan needs to create an environment that enables both men and women to continue working while cherishing time with their families.