90% of the respondents changed their values after the birth of their children. Sustainable work styles required beyond male maternity leave.
- The following is content from the press release -
With the diversification of work styles and the increase in dual-earner families, fathers' involvement in the home and childcare is attracting attention.
(XTalent; Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Tatsuya Uehara), operator of "withwork," a job search service for working parents, conducted a survey of 264 men in preparation for Father's Day. The survey revealed the ideal image of fathers that today's men want to have and the ideal balance between work and childcare.
Furthermore, the survey also provides insight into the work environment that influences the desire to raise children, as well as the actual attitudes toward changing jobs in search of an environment that facilitates a better balance between work and childcare.
Survey Summary
- Implementation period: May 7, 2025 - May 18, 2025
- Survey participants: Males in their 20s to 60s.
- Number of valid responses: 264
- Research entity: XTalent Corporation (https://xtalent.co.jp/)
The ideal father figure is "a father who treats his children and partner as equals and is actively involved in the family."
The ideal fathers were ranked as follows: No. 1, "Respect children's wishes and value dialogue (79.91 TP6T)," No. 2, "Face children and learn and grow together (75.41 TP6T)," and No. 3, "Be involved in household chores and childcare on an equal footing with partner (70.11 TP6T), The image of fathers who are actively involved in the family ranked high. On the other hand, "shows dignity and authority as a patriarch (8.3%)" and "is a strong person who does not show weakness to his children (4.5%)," which are reminiscent of the traditional patriarchal system, received low scores.
The birth of a child has changed the way 90% of respondents think about work and family.
Regarding their attitudes toward work and family, 70% of the respondents answered that their attitudes "changed a lot" and 20% "changed somewhat" with the birth of their child. In terms of specific changes, respondents indicated that they are more conscious of improving their work style and work methods in order to balance work and family, such as "I am more interested in a flexible work style" and "I am more motivated to achieve high results in a short period of time.
90% of respondents want to "devote themselves to work even if it interrupts their work" and "want to balance work and childcare" as their ideal balance.
Seventy percent of all respondents said they wanted to balance work and childcare. Furthermore, the younger the age group, the higher the percentage of respondents who answered that they would like to devote themselves to child rearing even if they had to temporarily suspend their work if possible. In addition, 95.61 TP6T in the leadership group (chiefs, section chiefs, and section managers) considered a deep commitment to and compatibility with childcare to be ideal, the highest figure when examined by position.
Long working hours" is the No. 1 factor preventing the realization of ideal balance.
Regarding their ideal balance, 30% of the respondents answered that they have not been able to achieve it. Of these, 70% cited "too busy with work to take time" as the reason. In addition, factors such as long working hours and excessive workloads were among the most frequently cited workplace characteristics that negatively impacted child-rearing motivation.
Workplaces that have a "positive influence" on childrearing motivation are characterized by "flexible work styles" and "male employees' understanding and willingness to raise children.
Seventy percent of the respondents indicated that "flexible work styles" such as remote work or a flextime system would have a positive impact on their desire to raise their children. As for the ideal work style when considering the balance with childcare, 90% of the respondents answered "full remote work" or "a hybrid of work and remote work.
We also found that male employees' understanding of and actual actions toward childcare in the workplace, such as "having a male boss who understands childcare" and "having male employees who take childcare leave or choose to work shorter hours," had a positive impact on men's willingness to take care of children.
60% "have changed jobs or departments or have considered doing so" in search of an environment that facilitates a good balance between work and family life.
Forty percent of the respondents answered that they have changed jobs or departments, or are in the process of concrete activities or plan to do so in the near future. Including those who responded that they "would like to do so someday if the opportunity arises" or "have thought about it but have not yet taken action," 60% of all respondents indicated that their motivation for changing jobs was to get out of a work environment that makes it difficult to balance work and child rearing.
And the percentage of respondents who answered that they had actually "taken/are in the process of taking action" was higher for general employees (57.61 TP6T), followed by managers (51.21 TP6T) and leaders (38.91 TP6T).
Click here for the full [survey report].
https://media.withwork.com/article/2001
*This survey data should be used widely. When citing or reprinting the data, please indicate the source of the citation as "Cited by: XTalent Corporation".
Comments from cooperating institutions
We have received comments from each of the organizations that cooperated with us in this survey. (In alphabetical order)
Ms. Tsuneko Takaso (Vice President, Fathering Japan NPO)
It is very interesting to note that 80% of the respondents chose "respecting the child's wishes and valuing dialogue" as their ideal father figure, and 90% said that the birth of their child "changed the way they think about work and family," while the number one factor preventing them from achieving a balance between work and child-rearing was "long working hours. The result is also very interesting.
FJ says that male maternity leave and reforming the way fathers work is the number one pin in the bowling alley. If this changes, women will be able to work more easily, family time will increase, and child abuse will decrease. We cannot predict the beginning of nursing care, but we can know when the baby is due and when the child will grow up, so it should be easier to prepare the workplace system. I hope that you will spread the word about creating a workplace that is easy to work in and become a company of choice.
About NPO Fathering Japan
https://fathering.jp/
Under the slogan "Fathering = enjoying being a father," Fathering Japan conducts various activities to increase the number of "laughing fathers" rather than "good fathers.
Mr. Lira Chicago, President, Papa Ikumi Comm.
In the five years since the community was launched, we have heard from hundreds of fellow fathers who are working hard to raise their children.
Perhaps the greatest challenge such fathers face is "balancing work and childcare.
It has been a long time since the term "work-life balance" has been heard, but will the day really come when people can flexibly choose to balance "life" and "work" as the child-rearing generation desires?
From this survey, we felt as if we could hear the true feelings of fathers in 2021 who are torn between "life" and "work" in this ever-changing era.
About Papaiku Comm.
https://www.college.papaiku.jp/
During my childcare leave, I had days when I couldn't talk to anyone. This loneliness led to the launch of "Papa Ikuko Commu" in June 2020 as a "third place" for fathers, and the number of members has now exceeded 1,000. We hope to continue expanding this place for fathers to laugh, talk, and grow together throughout the country. We believe that "child-rearing is the most cost-effective way to raise a child!
Tadahito Mitamura, President, Papa to Children, Inc.
For seven years we have been creating a psychologically safe space for these dads who want to "take care of their families in their own way.
When I read the report [The Image of Fathers in 2021], it became very clear to me that the report showed in concrete figures what we have been experiencing on a daily basis, that more and more men are facing the theme of "family and work" and feel that they want to value both job satisfaction and happiness at home.
These are times of rapid change, and I feel sure that there are many conflicts, both at home and at work.
As friends walking together through these times, we feel strongly once again that we want to continue to be a presence that can nurture a "third place" for fathers together.
About Papa to Children Incorporated Association
https://www.p-to-c.com/
An organization that operates a dad community with the goal of creating a safe space for dads who want to take care of their families in their own way.
The "Dads' Future Conference" is held regularly as a place where fathers can share their life-sized joys and concerns in peace.
Comments from Tatsuya Uehara, Representative Director, XTalent Corporation
The image of fatherhood has undergone a major shakeup over the past several years. A clear gap has emerged between the stereotypes of the "mainstay of the family" and the "workaholic" that still persist, and the ideal image that the men themselves envision for themselves.
In our daily job search support, we have faced the struggles and challenges faced by many working fathers. They cherish their families, take their children seriously, and collaborate with their partners in housework and childcare. These life-size ideals are strongly supported by the data in this survey.
The results of this survey reveal the voices of fathers who wish to balance work and family life, but are unable to do so in reality. The barriers to this are long working hours and inflexible work styles. This should not be seen as an individual problem, but as a problem with the design of the working environment and society.
And this theme is not an issue limited to parties raising children. Experienced middle generation workers are gaining new perspectives on their career development as they enter the child-rearing years, and are seeking their own unique ways of working and contributing. How companies accept and utilize their potential is an extremely important theme from the perspective of recruitment and retention.
We at withwork, operated by XTalent, aim to help working parents encounter options that do not involve a "career/life trade-off". We hope that this survey will serve as a catalyst for awareness and dialogue for change for many companies and individuals.
What is withwork?
We are a job search service that supports the "no trade-off between career and life" work style of the working and child-rearing generation. From growing start-ups to mega-ventures and listed companies, we carefully select and introduce jobs at companies that are actively introducing rewarding and flexible work styles.
https://withwork.com/
Withwork also provides career change support for men who are struggling to balance work and family life, a trend that is increasing every year.
interpoint (interword separation)After the birth of his child, he wanted to change the way he worked."
About XTalent
- Company name: XTalent Corporation (https://xtalent.co.jp/)
- Location: Daiwa Azabu Terrace 5F, 3-20-1 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0047
- Representative: Tatsuya Uehara
- Establishment: July 2019
- Affiliated Company: XTech Corporation
- Employment Opportunities:https://xtalent.co.jp/recruit/
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