In the past, many people thought raising children to be the only goal and responsibility of women. Now, Japanese women no longer seem interested solely in raising children, and society needs to accept this. Japanese women want to work, either for money or for their own interests. In fact, like many women in the world today, they would like to both work and raise children. But Japanese society is against this. Some companies, for example, even tell women to quit working when they get married or have children. As a result, Japanese women are having fewer children or no children at all. Society should help set up ways for them both to work and to have children.
One major force in society that has the power to enable women both to work and to raise children is Japanese companies. Usually,people don’t think of a company as a force in shaping families, but this attitude should be reconsidered. Japanese companies need to recognize their role in shaping families and think more about supporting them. First, they should offer affordable childcare, and the government should help them. This would allow women to have children and still have a good career. According to my friends in Norway, for example, Norway has a good system of childcare, where working mothers can even visit their children at lunchtime. Furthermore, in Norway, you can see a high rate of working women and a stable birth rate. The Norwegian childcare system is an appropriate example for Japan to follow.
Even though the raising of children is notan easy job or a traditional job for Japanese men, we must accept that it’s partly men’s work, too. It’s essential that Japanese fathers help more in the home. After all, the children are theirs, too. Also, the Japanese government and companies should set up a better system of parental leave so that both parents can care for their families. My brother, for example, didn’t take his parental leave because he thought it would hurt his career. I have heard many similar stories. It’s important that fathers be able to take parental leave without threatening their jobs. In Norway, for instance, men can and do continued to take paternity leave without concern for their careers. Perhaps Japanese companies should consider making paternity leave a requirement so that there could be no question about its impact on one’s career. Paternity leave is important because it helps families to understand the father’s role sooner, when babies are young.
Some Japanese couples think that parenting is too expensive. It’s a pity that couples have to abandon having children for economic reasons. It’s the government’s job to help make child raising more affordable. Many countries’ governments are using different ways to help parents financially. These may include tax breaks or onetime payments to new parents. While it’s true that many people don’twant to pay higher taxes to support other people’s children, producing the next generation of Japan is a question of our nation’s existence. Everyone, therefore, must help pay.
Increasing the birth rate is a key defense against the shrinking of Japanese society. There needs to be a balance between raising children and work. In order to find this balance, all members of Japanese society should participate in raising and paying for the cost of children. In the long run, a vibrant young population helps everyone, including companie,families, and taxpayers, in Japanese society. We had better take matters seriously for a bright Japanese future. Imagine your own old age, without any children. What would happen?