Thursday, June 16, 2005

Japan tries to promote parenting

by Brian Turner

The Japanese government is considering a plan that would cut work hours for public employees with young children.

It is an attempt to encourage Japanese couples to have more children, and the proposal comes at a time when the fertility rate of Japanese women has fallen dramatically.

New numbers show that the average fertility rate is 1.29 children per woman, a situation that proponents of the plan to cut work hours think is serious enough to justify drastic action.

The private sector in Japan has already instituted such measures as opening on-site child care facilities, allowing workers flexible work schedules, and awarding vouchers to pay for child care.

Now, the new government plan calls for cutting work hours for national government employees with children age six and under to 4 hours per day (20 hours per week).

Presently, workers who would be affected by the plan work a minimum of 40 hours per week, although present rules allow those with children under age 3 to take two hours per day off.

Some critics of the new plan question who would do the work affected workers would have done during their time off, but others believe the plan will bring the public sector closer to matching private sector initiatives.

Previous government efforts to raise the birthrate have been less than successful.

 

 

 

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