POPULATION-JAPAN: Fewer Women Choose to Become Mothers

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Jun 13 2002 (IPS) - After two years of marriage and a lot of agonising, Junko, 36, is having her first — and what she describes as probably her only — child in August.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” she says, referring to her pregnancy, mostly because I had to give up my job as a computer technician.”

Kayako, 35, on the other hand, thinks Junko is brave. “I love my work too much to give it up for a family even though I might regret my decision later,” says the boss of a translation company.

“My husband works as hard so he has no time to take off as well, and so he has reluctantly agreed to let me have my way,” she adds.

The two women’s atttitude about raising families substantiates a new report by the Health and Welfare Ministry that points to a trend of late pregnancies among women as the major contributor to a record low number of babies born in 2001 — 1.17 million, down 20,000 from 2000.

The report, released on Friday, is even more shocking as it indicates that the trend is long-term, showing no reversal in the near future.

“Japanese women are conducting a silent revolution,” explains well-known social commentator, Keiko Higuchi. “They are reacting against male domination that has made child care a drudgery against tough working conditions and little support from their partners.”

The government report reveals that the birth rate hit an all-time low of 1.33 per cent in 2001, after rising slightly to 1.36 per cent in 2000 from the previous record low of 1.34 per cent in 1999. The birth rate in cities, including Tokyo, was even lower at 1.0 per cent, or below the national average.

The average age for first-time marriages in 2001 rose to 27.2, compared with 25 years old in the 1980s, the report said, while the average age of first-time mothers likewise rose to 28.2 from 26 years old in the 1980s.

Higuchi says the new statistics will not change unless Japanese companies and the government take drastic steps to acknowledge and respect a woman’s right to lead a fulfilling life.

“Long working hours, discrimination against working women in companies, and the lack of a father role in Japanese families due to overwork, have discouraged women to take the plunge into motherhood,” she says.

Higuchi is part of an official panel appointed by the prime minister to address declining birth rates.

In a bid to change the situation, the government has been spending fatter budgets for day care and passed two years ago new regulations for working men to take paternity leave.

But, as Higuchi points out, the new measures are not working. “Better day care is not the answer. Japan must be willing to change traditional roles that make men breadwinners and restrict women to child rearing,” she points out.

Analysts note that less than one percent of working males have taken advantage of legal paternity leave and in a recent government survey almost 40 percent of men in their 30s replied they would like to take part in child rearing but could not because of long working hours.

The drastic drop in new births has made Japan the country with the biggest number of graying population relative to total population, among Western industrialised countries.

Last year the number of elderly — 65 years and older — was 18 percent of the population, up 0.6 per cent from 2000. This was higher than the percentage for children below 15 years, which was a record low of 14.3 percent of total population or 18.2 million.

Experts have predicted that Japan will start aging rapidly from 2010 when the population — currently 127 million — starts to shrink after peaking at 127.28 million in 2005.

They estimate that 28 per cent of the Japanese people will be over 65 years by 2025, fuelling fears of lower productivity and reduced competitivenes.

The drop in the number of working people will also affect funding for public pension schemes, which are supported by these working people.

Hideaki Sekizawa, head of the lifestyle department at Hakuhodo, Japan’s leading think-tank on social trends, says a shrinking population would bring important changes in the nation.

“As the aged grow, Japan will need more foreigners to supply health care. The debate to allow foreigners, mostly from Asia, to work in Japan, will bring big social and economic changes in our homogenous society,” he says.

Sekizawa contends a graying society will not necessarily mean a downturn in the economy as new industries are developed to meet the changing needs.