Merit of maternity leave "broadens husband's horizons"; demerit "wife's stress builds up"; more than 60% optimal for one month or more - Shufu JOB Research Institute
- The following is content from the press release -
Shufu JOB Soken (operated by Be Style Holdings Co., Ltd.; headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; president: Kunihiko Mihara), a research institute that seeks the realities and true feelings of housewives and househusbands who wish to balance work and family life, conducted a questionnaire survey on "Men Taking Maternity Leave" among work-oriented women, mainly housewives. The number of valid responses was 72. (Number of valid responses: 727)
Summary of Survey Results
- Male respondents "should" take parental leave 92.81 TP6T / 2024 vs.
- The optimal length of male maternity leave is "one month or longer" 65.3%
- Advantages of Male Maternity Leave "Broadens Husband's Perspective" 74.3%/ Ranking Top 5
- Disadvantages of taking male parental leave: "Wife's stress builds up" 46.91 TP6T / Top 5 ranking
- From free comments
1. male respondents "should" take parental leave 92.81 TP6T / 2024 vs.
2024 Survey:https://www.bstylegroup.co.jp/news/33310/
2. 65.3%, "one month or longer" is the optimal duration for male employees to take maternity leave.
3. Advantages of Male Maternity Leave "Broadens Husband's Perspective" 74.31 TP6T / Ranking Top 5
4. Disadvantage of taking male parental leave: "Wife's stress builds up" 46.91 TP6T / Top 5 ranking
5. from free comments
Excerpts from free comments (age: employment status)
- I think the meaning of men's childcare leave is to understand how hard childcare is (40s: part-time/part-time job).
- Need to choose a situation that is firmly acceptable to the couple, regardless of gender Understanding and caring for each other's situation and mental state is necessary (60s: not working now)
- I think it's a very difficult issue, because I don't think it's always good to take maternity leave because of family situations and individual personalities (40s: part-time/part-time worker).
- Depending on the family, there are cases where they want the husband to take childcare leave or, conversely, they want him to work without taking childcare leave, so it is difficult to make a blanket statement. However, it is a matter of course to raise a child together whether the husband takes childcare leave or not, so I think it is wrong to say that he does not interfere much with childcare because he is working. I wish they would think first about fundamental things before taking childcare leave (30s: dispatched worker).
- I think it is enough to add it to one of the promotion items instead of childcare leave. I think that by multitasking with housework and childcare, I will have the ability to handle any situation at work (40s: freelance/self-employed).
- Regardless of whether they are male or female, other staff members are supposed to follow up with them at work during their absence, and they should be given some kind of allowance for those who follow up (50s: temporary staff).
- Because my children were twins, my husband took a month of maternity leave. (This seemed to be a first for the company, but I hoped it would become the norm later on.) In my experience of both fathers' involvement in child-rearing and housework, I felt that if men were more or less actively involved in child-rearing and housework, it would have a significant impact on communication among family members. I also thought that children's attachment to their fathers was different (40s: part-timer).
- I think the best thing is to know what women have taken for granted so far. It is better to experience at a young age that there are many things in the world that need to be taken care of outside of the company! (50s: other ways of working)
- If only the wife gets it, the husband's company is free-riding on the wife's company's system. Result. More companies avoid hiring women. Should be acquired equally (50s: SOHO/work at home)
- I can't say either way, because some people use it for their own rest, which is fine if they really want to take care of their children (50s: part-timer)
- I agree with taking it to share childcare and housework, but if it actually does nothing and only increases the wife's workload, it would be better for her to work instead of taking time off (20s: freelance/self-employed)
- My husband did not take maternity leave. It was very stressful to raise a child with my mother-in-law for the first time. If my husband had intervened and helped me with childcare, I might have enjoyed raising my child more. (I don't know if taking childcare leave would help me, since it still doesn't help me now...) Also, childcare doesn't end after a year, so it would be nice if I could take it on a spot basis until the child grows up (30s: part-timer).
- Nowadays, it is common for married couples to work together, but if the main source of income is for men, it should not hinder men's promotion and career advancement. Taking leave affects motivation for promotion, delays in getting promoted, and position in the workplace (50s: not working now).
- I feel that it is still not widespread, and my husband didn't take it because he didn't feel he was in the right mood to take childcare leave. I think that is the reality (40s: dispatched worker).
- It would be nice if people would not feel like they have to "help" with housework and child care (40s: not working at the moment).
- I want an environment where it is easy for men to take child-care leave. I want men to work diligently on childcare and housework during their childcare leave, and to gain knowledge and experience outside of work (60s: part-timer).
- To be honest, I was able to turn my first child around as a one-person operation, so I'm not sure if it's absolutely necessary. The system should be in place, but it is difficult to say whether it should be taken uniformly because of family circumstances and family approach. I think it varies greatly depending on whether there is only one child or more than one child, whether the older child needs transportation, etc. (40s: dispatched worker)
- If we continue to work together in the future, I think that if men know what happens and what it takes to raise a child, they will be able to help each other both at home and after the childcare leave ends, and they will also be able to follow up with their colleagues regardless of gender when they do so, making it easier for women to work at the company (40s: part/part-time job). Part-time job)
- I feel that awareness of men taking childcare leave is changing with the times, but the generation of supervisors has a different set of values, and I think that many of them are not fully adapted to this change. (60s: freelance/self-employed)
- I don't think childcare leave itself is bad, but I would rather have something like no overtime or shorter working hours until the child enters the third grade of elementary school instead of a lump sum (30s: dispatched worker).
- If taking child-care leave delays promotion, there is no merit in taking it. In fact, I think it would be better if taking childcare leave would be evaluated positively in the company based on a point system (50s: freelance/self-employed).
- They should take maternity leave for at least one month. Not only should she take it, but she should also be required to write a daily report like at work (50s: part-timer).
- Even if a company has a high take-up rate, the actual rate may be a few days to a few weeks, and I wonder if that should be considered a record of take-up (30s: other ways of working)
- It would be nice to be able to take time off when needed rather than for a fixed period of time (40s: part-timer)
- Facing your children is also facing yourself. Time for childcare is important. However, it is more abnormal in a world where childcare is not possible without a system (50s: dispatched worker).
- The husband needs to take care of the child during the daytime so that the wife can rest and sleep as much as possible during the daytime because of postpartum damage and anxiety about her body due to nighttime feedings during the first few months after childbirth (40s: not working at the moment).
- If I can only take it for a few months, it may be as good as nothing. My child will be a handful until he/she starts elementary school (50s: dispatched worker)
- There are more important things than men taking maternity leave. It is to realize a work environment where men and women can go home on time without any gender bias in their regular work (40s: SOHO/working at home).
- Many people who get it use it to laze around on their own, so mothers should take a course in housework and childcare before parental leave so that they don't become one-uppers (50s: freelance/self-employed).
- Salary is the biggest concern (30s: Temporary staff)
- I think the most important thing is that the people around him at work understand him more than he does (40s: not working at the moment).
From Keitaro Kawakami, Research Advisor, Shufu JOB Research Institute
The rate of men taking childcare leave has risen dramatically over the past few years, finally reaching 40.5%. When work-oriented women, mainly housewives, were asked "What do you think about men taking childcare leave?" more than 90% of them answered that "men should take childcare leave. This is an increase of 7.4 points from the previous year. When those who answered that they should take leave were asked how long they thought it was best for them to take leave, more than 60% said one month or longer. More than 20% of the respondents answered that six months or more is optimal, with many saying that it is desirable to obtain the certificate for a certain length of time.
When asked about the benefits of men taking childcare leave, more than 70% of respondents answered that the experience of housework and childcare would broaden their husbands' perspectives and reduce their wives' stress. In addition to lightening the burden of childcare, which tends to fall on the wife, many feel that the actual experience broadens their perspective, such as learning about the difficulties of childcare and gaining a deeper understanding of colleagues in the same situation. On the other hand, the most common disadvantage of men taking childcare leave was that "the husband's work instincts are dulled during the leave period" was overtaken by "the wife is stressed out because the husband does not take care of the housework and childcare.So-called "take-it-only maternity leave" will increase the burden on wives if they are not an asset in childcare.This is a good thing. Many of the free comments also pointed out the harshness of husbands' attitude toward childcare, but some said that it also helps them to be more responsive at work, given that housework and childcare are multitasking activities.The number of households in which both spouses work continues to increase every year, and the Ikumen Project has been reborn as the Tomoiku Project. The sense of discomfort with a society in which the burden of childcare is placed solely on women will only grow stronger in the future.We believe that the
Shufu JOB Research Institute Research Advisor Keitaro Kawakami Profile
Born in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture in 1973. After graduating from Aichi University with a bachelor's degree in literature, he worked as a manager at a major human resource service company and as a sales promotion department manager and editorial board member of the industry magazine "Monthly Human Resources Business" before joining Be Style Inc. in 2010. The following year, he launched the research institute "Shufu Job Research Institute" and became its director. In 2021, he became an independent researcher, writing articles and giving lectures as a work-style researcher and providing advisory services for public relations and branding activities.
He has more than 20 years of experience in the human resource services business, including temporary staffing, placement, and outsourcing, and has held a wide range of executive and managerial positions, including sales, new business launches, public relations branding, corporate planning, and human resources, covering everything from the front lines of business to the administrative departments. He has made numerous media appearances to present his opinions on a wide range of topics in the employment and labor field, from human resource management to legal regulations. He is the father of four children, including male and female twins, and a stay-at-home father.
Facebook page: Editor-in-Chief of "Hitolabo" (2011-) / Facebook group: President of "Association for Public Interest Development of Human Resource Services" (2016-) / Part-time Auditor, Subaru Examination and Evaluation Institute Corporation / Member of the Japan Society of Labor Relations
Committee members, etc.
Member of the Commissioned Project Review Committee, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Private sector human resource service utilization study project "Study group for promoting women's return to work by utilizing the know-how of private sector human resource service providers" (FY 2009-2010)
Program Review Committee, Project for Development of Education and Training Development Project that Contributes to Career Formation and Productivity Improvement of Workers, etc. (FY 2009-2011)
Member of the Temporary Staffing Business Operation Support Department of the Japan Temporary Staffing Association (2008-2009, 2012), Study Group of the Employment WG of the Regulatory Reform Committee, Cabinet Office (2014), etc.
Media Appearances
Commentator for NHK's "Asaichi" and panelist for TV Asahi's "Beat Takeshi's TV Tackle",
In addition to television appearances, including commentary on Fuji Television's "Minnano News: Fukabori,
Numerous comments on radio, newspapers, magazines, business web media, etc.
Writing and other
IT Media serialization of "A Look at Working Styles" / JBpress serialization of "Whereabouts of Work Styles" and others,
Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Nikkei MJ, Jiji Press, Business Insider Japan, and President Online,
She has written and contributed to numerous articles, including J-CAST News Biz. Also lectures and moderates panel discussions at universities, local governments, and gender equality centers.
■Survey Summary
Survey method: Internet research (unsigned)
Number of valid responses: 727 *Females only
Survey Date: July 19, 2025 (Saturday) to August 1, 2025 (Friday)
Survey targets: Be-Style Smart Career registered users / "Shufu JOB" job site registered users
If you would like to request an interview with Research Advisor Kawakami regarding this release, please contact Public Relations.
About Shufu JOB Research Institute
The institute was established in 2011 with the aspiration of "creating a society in which more women can play an active role regardless of life events such as marriage and childbirth. The institute conducts periodic surveys to improve society's understanding of the desirable balance between lifestyle and work, and to create more workplaces where not only women but everyone can work comfortably.
*Past survey results are here ⇒.https://www.bstylegroup.co.jp/news/category/report/
** Shufu JOB Soken has deposited past survey data with SSJDA of the University of Tokyo.http://bit.ly/2n8jHIJ
About B-Style Group
Based on its raison d'etre of "creating value in step with the times" (PURPOSE), the company strives to solve the social problems and inconveniences of the times through innovative business. Since its establishment, the company has created more than 200,000 jobs for working women, including "Shufu JOB" and "Smart Career," which offers a variety of work styles and high career opportunities, and is also involved in the automation support business. Our vision is to realize "Happiness for all people involved.
