Attitudes of Japanese Women on Children

Half of the respondents said they wanted to continue to work if they could take leave when their children were sick, or “if someone is there to help in case something happens,” suggesting the importance of developing an environment to cope with inevitable incidents, as well as to gain the understanding of people around them when raising children.

The survey of childless women and those with young kids, was conducted last December via the Internet and targeted women aged 20 to 39.

Childless women were asked if they want children

• “Want children but do not have any yet” (39%)
• “Want to live with my spouse alone” (22%)
• “Feel anxious about lifestyle after giving birth and am not positive about having children” (20%)
• “Don’t want children due to concerns about life after giving birth” (10%)

The most sought-after system in the workplace was an “internal day-care center” for childless women or for those with children younger than age 3. Women with elementary school children sought “shorter working hours.”

Whose understanding is most necessary for women to continue working?

• Husbands (52%)
• Their company (22%)

Source: Mainichi

The results are quite interesting, suggesting that only about 39% of Japanese women want to have children, while others don’t want to have any at all (22%) or have some barriers (30%).