Photo/Illutration A father and child (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The rate of male employees taking paternity leave in Japan reached 30 percent last fiscal year for the first time, and there are signs of a further rise, particularly among the younger generation.

Steps should be taken to accelerate this encouraging trend to make it commonplace for both partners to be involved in parenting and household chores.

A basic survey on gender equality in the workplace for fiscal 2023 released last month by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found that the child care leave uptake rate among men working in private companies was 30 percent, a sharp uptick from the previous year’s rate of 17 percent.

The duration of leave also showed a trend toward longer periods, with more men taking “one to less than three months” leave compared to a “five days to less than two weeks” category.

A 2021 revision to the system, which mandated companies to inform eligible employees of the entitlement and confirm their intentions to take leave, and the publication of leave-taking data by large companies with over 1,000 employees, appears to have positively influenced these numbers.

However, there are disparities in uptake rates. In industries such as real estate, rental services, wholesale and retail, and accommodation and food services, the rates are around 20 percent. Smaller businesses tend to have lower uptake rates, and the overall proportion of male employees utilizing paternity leave is still considerably lower compared to the women’s rate of 84 percent.

Concurrently, a survey of individuals aged 18 to 25 revealed that 84 percent of men wanted to take parental leave, with about 30 percent expressing a desire for leave of taking time off for childcare for “more than six months.” There is an urgent need to bridge this gap between desire and reality.

People often hesitate to take leave due to a workplace notion that doing so increases the burden on those still in the office or because replacement staff will not be forthcoming. The recent spread of terms like “komochi sama,” which pokes fun at “privileged” employees with children, reflects the strain on colleagues of those who take leave due to general staffing shortages in many workplaces.

To change this situation, the government must support companies that strive to create a working environment conducive to taking leave, such as making staffing and other organizational adjustments to arrange cover for an employee’s parental leave.

Some companies provide allowances to colleagues who make up for the absence of those on leave. Policy measures are needed to share such efforts and promote such practices.

The government has set targets of raising men’s parental leave uptake to 50 percent by 2025 and 85 percent by 2030.

However, compared to other countries, Japan is known for having a significantly shorter duration that husbands can spend on childcare and household chores.

Promoting men’s parental leave is essential as a starting point for changing the general mindsets of Japanese couples to normalize shared childcare and household duties between spouses.

Continued efforts to reduce long working hours are also crucial for achieving this policy goal. Expanding options for flexible work arrangements, such as flextime, reduced-time work, and telecommuting, is indispensable.

Promoting men’s parental leave should be a driving force in changing work styles and societal attitudes in this nation.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 24

Related News