70 Pct of Japanese Parents Want More Kids: Survey

June 21, 2018

Tokyo- The proportion of parents of infants in Japan who want to have more children stands at around 70 pct, a private survey found Wednesday.

The joint survey was conducted by the University of Tokyo and education service provider Benesse Holdings Inc. between September and October 2017.

It covered 2,975 mothers and 2,624 fathers with a child aged up to one year.

According to the survey, 74.1 pct of mothers and 68.8 pct of fathers answered that they want more kids.

However, 28.6 pct of the mothers who said they want more kids believe it is difficult in reality due to concerns related to money or work. The share was 22.3 pct for fathers.

The proportion of parents who want more kids consisted of respondents actually planning to have another one or more kids and those who want more but think it is difficult.

As for reasons for this difficulty, respondents citing the financial burden made up the majority, at more than 80 pct. They were followed by those who referred to the physical burden and the difficulty of balancing home life and work.

Many of those planning to have another one or more children were husbands and wives who assist each other with housework and child-rearing or have the support of their families or neighbors.

At workplaces of fathers who help out at home, their seniors tend to be more sympathetic and allow fathers to leave work without overtime, according to the survey.

"It is crucial to secure across-the-board support at workplaces for child-rearing," said Kiyomi Akita, professor at the University of Tokyo. Jiji Press