Japan wants 85% of male workers to take paternity leave, but fathers are wary. Why?

Tokyo: There are only a few takers of Japan’s lucrative paternity leave policy. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged to lift up the number of men taking paternity leave from a mere 14 per cent to 50 per cent by 2025.

However, not many Japanese male workers are “afraid” to avail the benefits of paternity leave as they think it may have a negative impact on their careers in terms of promotion prospects and fewer responsibilities.

In the past few years, authorities in Japan have been trying to promote policies that will address the country’s plummeting birth rate. Workaholic fathers and stay-home mothers have only made the problem worse.

Under the current policy, Japanese men are entitled to four weeks of paternity leave with as much as 80 per cent of their salary.

Member of the young workers union called POSSE, Makoto Iwahashi, said that while the government’s plan is well-intentioned, many men are simply too scared to take long leaves due to potential repercussions from their employers.

The many problems of paternity leaves

In 2019, two men took matters to court after their employers penalised them with demotions and pay cuts after they returned from their paternity leave.

The lawsuit sparked debates in the country about the longstanding cultural norms and company expectations and the repercussions if men don’t conform to them.

Another problem that would-be fathers always face is the proper application of the policy.

According to The Diplomat, the amendments made to the 2015 paternity leave policy are only applicable to major corporations with more than 1,000 employees.

Also, owing to the unpredictability of a baby’s due date, a company is technically allowed to ask an expectant father to remain at work even if his wife goes into labour earlier than her due date.

‘Last chance to reverse birth rate’

Kishida last week warned that the country now has only “six to seven years from now” to reverse the declining birth rate trend.

He said, “I want to create a society where young people can marry as they wish, and everyone who wants to can have children and raise them without stress.”

To achieve the increase, he proposed measures including offering allowances to companies encouraging paternity leave, and pledged more pay when both parents take leave.

“This way, couples can share childcare and household chores, while the impact on income and career development is reduced,” he said.

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