Due to the amendment of the Act on Childcare Leave/Caregiver Leave Act, various new systems have been implemented in April and October of 2022, gradually promoting men’s childcare leave uptake. Further changes are planned for April of this year, indicating a broader societal push for men to take childcare leave. Our company also promotes men’s childcare leave. We interviewed our staff members who have currently taken childcare leave.
How is Japan’s Childcare Leave Going?
13.97% took childcare leave
According to the Basic Survey of Gender Equality in Employment Management in 2021 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)*, the rate of taking childcare leave was 13.97% among men. The rate has been increasing year by year, but still low.
The reasons for this include the persistence of the belief that “men should focus on their careers while women should focus on childcare,” as well as the lingering anxiety that taking childcare leave may have negative impact on career. These factors contribute to a atmosphere which is hard for men to take childcare leave. Under the new system, measures are being taken to address such issues, such as obligating companies to explain the system of childcare leave and individually confirming employees’ intentions to take it, with the aim of resolving these concerns.
More than half of men take childcare leave for less than 2 weeks
Looking at the statistics, 26.5% of the men took childcare leave for 5 to less than 2 weeks, 25.0 % took less than 5 days, 24.5% took 1 to less than 3 months. This shows that more than half of the men took childcare leave less than 2 weeks.
Although the length of the leave does not directly connects to the quality of childcare, it still shows that childcare is dependent on women. On the other hand, there may be men who wants to take a place in parenting, but cannot leave the job for a long amount of time. It is necessary for companies to have a system of childcare leave and a working environment where the father himself and his colleagues can welcome leaving job temporary for parenting.
How was Your Year-long Childcare Leave Like? An Honest Roundtable Discussion
Although there is a wave for promoting men’s childcare leave, it is hard to imagine how childcare leave is considered in a company. We interviewed our three staff members to ask them how their childcare leave was like.
Reasons of Taking a Leave
-Could you tell me the reason of taking childcare leave?
Mr. D: According to our family’s rule, we did not make our child go to nursery. So, my wife’s responsibility on parenting was going to be big for our second child without my leave. For my family, I decided to take a leave, which is a system that already existed in our company. I wanted to take a childcare leave as much as possible, so I took a year-off.
Mr. T: Same for me. My first child still had to be taken care, and was not attending nursery school. With the request from my wife, I decided to take a childcare leave. Through discussions with my family, I am going to take a half year leave.
Mr. Y: In my case, it’s a bit different. I had always thought that when I became a father, I absolutely wanted to take childcare leave. From the day my child was born, I wanted to be involved in childcare for 24/7, experiencing “level 1 of parenting” to master the basics of all future parenting. I decided to take as much leave as I could, so I took one year of childcare leave.
-Mr. Y’s attitude towards parenting is excellent! It seems that you had a long childcare leave than usual, but were there any worries towards it?
Mr. T: For us, we did not have much worries, but others people might have some. If everyone took a long leave and were able to build up their career after returning to work as we did, it can change the idea that childcare leave will takeaway the place at work or that it will cause trouble which lead fathers to work too hard.
Company’s Atmosphere
-When you told the company to take a childcare leave, how was the atmosphere like?
Mr. D: I took childcare leave for two times. For the first time, I was the third person in the company to take the leave. Therefore, there were some parts which required consults. But there were no unwelcome atmosphere, which I appreciate it.
Mr. T: I ended up telling the company quite close to the last minute before my leave, but my leave was accepted willingly. When my wife told me to take a childcare leave, I considered it as a usual thing to take. So, I think men taking childcare leave is becoming less special.
-Mr. T is going to leave within 2 weeks. Is your work busy before taking the leave?
Mr. T: Actually, I have less things to do now. Since I contacted our company for the leave, the amount of my job has been controled so that I can leave temporarily with ease.
-That is great!
Mr. Y: Originally I was interested in childcare leave, so I asked the company before having a child. The company’s answer was: “We want to recommend our employees to take a leave, but few people had taken it. Could you take a leave if possible?” So, when I was actually taking a leave, it was not difficult to tell. I became the first example of the childcare leave among the male employee in the factory, which I think is a good thing.
Also, people who I have not been close with told me, “Are you taking a childcare leave? I am with you! You don’t have to worry when you return to work!” I remember those words because I felt happy about it.
Life during Childcare Leave
-How was it like during childcare leave?
Mr. D: I took care of my two elderly children. They are six years old and three years old, but already busy attending swimming schools, gymnastics, Kumon (cram school) and others. And we went to many places. We went to the park almost everyday, and hiking and played with snow. We also went to a trip. I had a year leave, so I could have many experiences and had a great time.
Mr. Y: To experience the “level 1 of parenting”, I was ready to do all of the work, except for the ones that I cannot do because I am a man. However, the work I had to do was overwhelming. When I could handle job with my wife and I could create my own rootine, I was able to deal with many things.
Memories During Childcare Leave
-Do you have any specific memories during your one-year childcare leave?
Mr. D: In last year’s winter, I went to the snowing Karuizawa. My child was happy and playing all day long outside, because it was the first time to see snow. It was cold, but I was happy to see my child jolly. Also, I had set some goals with my child during my leave. For my last childcare leave, the my elderly son’s goal was to swim on his own, and he made it.
Mr. T: That is a good idea. I will have that idea and set some goals.
-If you return to work, let us hear your goals you have set!
Mr. Y: Luckily, I saw the moment when my child was born, and since then, my child learned how to roll over and change directions, although it took time to crawl, my child started to stand up, and started walking. I had been with my child for 24/7, so I could watch the whole process of my child learning things gradually. That was the good part of being with my child all day long.
Returning to Work
-Thank you for sharing your experiences and memories. After taking a childcare leave and returning to work, how is your working style like?
Mr. D: Since I had a one year leave, I am willing to contribute to the company. As soon as returning, the company is welcoming me to challenge in many jobs, such as projects and academic societies in the United States, so I want to do my best. Although it is basically allowed to work from home, but the new office in Tokyo is well-located, so I am working at the office almost everyday.
Mr. Y: It has been a month since I returned, so I am still on the path of returning. What I learned during my child-care leave is that even a single work in parenting, such as “giving a milk,” requires many steps. I am adapting that idea to work, and setting a clear goal, and considering what steps are required before starting a job.
-I have a question to Mr. T. How do you think your childcare leave will affect you?
Mr. T: Well, I don’t know how I will become in the future, but our company is changing everyday, so when I return, our environment should be better than now. I am excited from now about the environment after I return from a half year leave.
Conclusion
Mr. D, Mr. Y, Mr. T, thank you for your cooperation to our interview!
The reason to take childcare leave differs among people. It is important for the company to have a culture that is tolerant to accept every staff member’s situation. Our company will construct a system where every staff member can welcome the change of life events of their colleagues. If you are interested, check out our interview to our staff member who are also mothers!
(Written by: Mori, Corporate Communication Division)
Click here for article on working moms
