And Baby Makes Three: Japan’s Generation of Only Children By Gwen McAuley

To women in the western world, juggling baby and business may be old hat. But in Japan, more and more women seem to be flying the coop instead of raising the brood. They’re entering the workforce in record numbers, leaving the government no choice but to up the ante in the name or procreation. It’s Asian fusion in reverse.

Living in Japan and your culture shock may be less about the food and more about the traditional family. Look around on any given day and you’ll see how baby makes three.

The size of the Japanese family is plummeting – an observation widely criticized by the media, by the government and academics alike. The reason? Women’s roles are changing - more and more women are working (this statement mirrors similar observations in 1970s Canada) - and not surprisingly, they are having fewer children. The fertility rate in 2005 was a mere 1.26, much lower than Canada’s 1.54 in 2005 (www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/070921/d070921b.htm). Furthermore, the fertility rate in Japan is expected to continue to fall to 1.21 by 2012-2013 (The Japan Times). There are many speculations as to why couples are having fewer children (rather, why women are having fewer children, as it seems to be the women’s responsibility here). A growing participation in the workforce and a new push to marry later in life could be contributing factors.

The size of the Japanese family is plummeting

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research made population projections and cited recent social trends in Japan, including "late marriages by women" as the potential cause for the decline (The Japan Times). True, it becomes more and more difficult to have children as women age, but in all the newspaper articles on the subject, no one has provided fertility (or infertility) information for men. Come to think of it, there isn’t much about fertility testing at all. Contributing to the trend: couples who have trouble conceiving may not be seeking any medical help and are choosing not to adopt as alternatives.

"late marriages by women" as the potential cause for the decline

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who recently stepped down claimed that he would take every possible step to increase Japan’s birthrate. His proposed solutions included financial support for those who have children or take maternity leave, and measures to encourage marriage and childbearing. Abe took the brunt of Japan’s health minister’s comment regarding women as "birth-giving machines," and many people criticized Abe’s inaction following the comment. Health minister Hakuo Yanagisawa stated "because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can ask for is for them to do their best per head … although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines" (www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6306685.stm). This statement, along with others like it, has given many Japanese the impression that it is the women’s responsibility to fix the problem.

"…because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can ask for is for them to do their best per head..although it may no be so appropriate to call them machines…"

Overall, outside observers believe Japanese women need more support from their male partners – support in their decision to work, support in their decision to stay home, support in their desire for 1 or 10 children. Women also need the government’s support – cheaper childcare, maternity leave, financial aid for rearing children and sending them off to university. And lastly, women need the public’s support. Parents, in-laws, friends and the media should all be backing women’s decisions. When women receive the support they need, they’ll gain the confidence to make their own decisions, whatever they may be. When it seems as though their country is blaming them for the population problems, and labeling them as "baby-machines," perhaps their desire to bear children will be stunted with feelings of frustration. It’s true that biologically women must be the ones to bear more children in order to sustain Japan’s population, but support needs to be more readily available. Confident, financially secure women with the resources they need and a positive outlook on the world will be the ones to happily have more children, and Japan needs to recognize this. The pressure that Japanese women must be under can’t be good for their libidos.

28.11.2007

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