Measures to Combat Declining Birth Rate: Enable Women to Work As Regular Employees after Childbirth

Editorial

14:59 JST, March 30, 2026

There is no silver bullet for addressing the declining birth rate. This is because various factors are intricately intertwined, including the disproportionate burden of childcare placed on women, the decline in marriage rates and anxiety about the future stemming from low incomes.

However, if the current situation is simply left unchecked, economic vitality will be lost and it will become difficult to sustain the social security system. The public and private sectors must pool their resources and take steady action, starting with what can be done.

The “Forum for the Future We Choose,” a group composed of experts and young people, has compiled a set of proposals regarding measures to address population decline. A key feature of these proposals is that they call on the government to place work-style reform at the center of its policies, rather than relying solely on conventional financial support.

Specifically, the forum proposed eliminating the so-called “L-shaped curve,” when women transition from full-time to non-regular employment after childbirth, thus creating a co-parenting environment in which a mother and father raise their children together.

The “L-curve” refers to the phenomenon where women who were working as regular employees find it difficult to balance childcare and work after giving birth, leading them to switch to non-regular employment, which allows for more flexible working hours.

In fact, according to a survey by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, while the percentage of women working as regular employees reaches 60% among those aged 25 to 29, it gradually declines with age to 52% for those aged 30 to 34 and 41% for those aged 35 to 39.

A private-sector estimate suggests that when women switch from regular to non-regular employment, their lifetime earnings decrease by over ¥100 million. This significant drop in income is a major factor causing women to hesitate about having children.

It is important to ensure that women can continue working as regular employees even after giving birth. Some companies allow “regular employees with short working hours,” who are considered regular employees even if they only work two days a week while raising children. Such measures should be looked to for inspiration.

To alleviate the burden of childcare on women, it is also necessary to create an environment in which men can take parental leave.

Although the proposals did not mention it, it is obvious that the decline in the number of marriages is accelerating the falling birth rate. According to preliminary figures, there were 505,700 marriages last year, the third-lowest level since the end of World War II.

It appears that many young people hesitate to marry because they cannot secure a stable income due to non-regular employment.

The decision to marry is a matter of personal freedom. But if there are cases in which people who wish to marry or have children are forced to give up on those aspirations due to non-regular employment, the situation must be improved.

Also, there are young people who, even after securing a job, quit too easily because they feel the job does not suit them and fail to settle into steady employment. Such young people should know that working as a member of society and experiencing marriage and child-rearing are also valuable endeavors.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 30, 2026)