Why Japanese fathers are 'afraid' of taking paternity leave despite government encouragement

Japan is infamous for its notoriously long working hours which, for years, has not only messed with the work-life balance for workaholic fathers but also reportedly driven the country’s birth rate to one of the lowest in the world. In a bid to change that, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week unveiled a number of policies like an increase in child support andencouraging more men to take paternity leave.

Tokyo also aims to raise the number of fathers taking paternity leave to 50 per cent by 2025 and 85 per cent by 2030. A report by CNN said that currently, that rate stands at 14 per cent. Notably, Japan has long struggled with a falling fertility rate and an ageing population, but some people say it might not work.

In accordance with a bill that passed in the Japanese parliament two years ago, men are allowed to take four weeks of flexible paternity leave on up to 80 per cent of their salary. However, many men remain “afraid” of taking them, said Makoto Iwahashi, a member of POSSE, a labour union dedicated to younger workers, as per CNN.

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The plan is well-intentioned, Iwahashi told CNN, many Japanese men are scared of taking the leave because of the possible repercussions from their employers like negative effects on their promotion prospects or being reassigned to a different position with fewer responsibilities.

While it is illegal to discriminate against employees who take maternity and paternity leaves, workers on fixed-term contracts were particularly vulnerable, said the member of POSSE. Additionally, “a little tweak” in paternity leaves would not cause any significant change to the declining birth rate in the country, he added.

Last year, Japan’s birth rate dipped below 800,000 for the first time since records began over a century ago. Additionally, the country’s fertility rate has also fallen to 1.3 which was far below the 2.1 required to maintain a stable population. In his address, last week, Kishida even warned that the next six to seven years “will be the last chance to reverse the declining birthrate trend”.

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