Different concerns and needs exist before, after, and during childcare.
- The following is content from the press release -
https://ds.yahoo.co.jp/report/20250930.html
Yahoo Data Solutions, a service provided by LINE Yahoo Japan Corporation (hereinafter referred to as "LINE Yahoo") for businesses that enables analysis of behavioral big data obtained from LINE Yahoo's diverse services, has released a report "Men" that analyzes people's interest in "maternity leave" using search big data. How does maternity leave differ between "ideal" and "reality"? What we found from search data and one month's experience" is now available.
People's interest has shifted from "income insecurity" to "system utilization.
Utilizing DS.INSIGHT, a desk research tool that can analyze people's interests based on search and human flow data held by LINE Yahoo, we extracted keywords that men in their 30s searched for along with "childcare leave. As a result, keywords related to the impact on income, such as "bonus" and "inhabitant tax," were found to be searched together with "childcare leave" as of June 2021. On the other hand, in August 2025, the searches were mainly related to allowances and systems.
The impact of the phased implementation of amendments to the Child Care and Family Care Leave Law, which from April 2022 will obligate employers to create an environment conducive to the taking of childcare leave and to publicize the status of male employees taking childcare leave and other leave, is likely to be apparent. Against the backdrop of system revisions and corporate initiatives, it is possible that people's interest in male parental leave is shifting from "when and how to take leave" to "how to utilize the system.
Fewer men tend to search for keywords related to "maternity leave
On the other hand, a comparison of the gender breakdown of searchers for several keywords related to childbirth and childcare revealed that the percentage of women tends to be high for keywords related to maternity leave, while the percentage of men is low. We can imagine that there is still much room for men to grow from the level of "knowing about childcare leave" to the level of "actually understanding and taking action.
Interest to take maternity leave," as represented in the search data.
A time-series analysis of the search behavior of those who searched for "childcare leave" between September 2024 and September 2025 shows that many people shifted their interest from "confirmation and preparation" such as "maternity leave calculation" and "year-end adjustment during childcare leave," to "understanding and procedures" such as "application period for maternity allowance," "postpartum paternity leave," and "conditions for childcare leave allowance. The interest in childcare shifts from "confirmation and preparation" such as "calculation of maternity leave" and "year-end adjustment during childcare leave," to "understanding the system and procedures" such as "application period for maternity allowance," "postpartum paternity leave," and "conditions for childcare leave allowance. It is also estimated that it takes about one week to one month to understand the system and complete the necessary procedures.
We further organized the search keywords by search intent and found that interest could be categorized into four major themes. This reveals that the respondents are looking up information as maternity leave is being promoted.
These results suggest that different types of support are needed at different times to encourage the use of childcare leave. For example, there is a need to provide appropriate support for each phase, such as measures to address questions about benefits and income before taking childcare leave, procedural support immediately after taking childcare leave, such as handling documents and internal adjustments, and measures to alleviate worries about childcare and feelings of loneliness during childcare leave.
Tools used: All DS.INSIGHT
▼ A more detailed report is available at the following URL
How does male maternity leave differ between "ideal" and "reality"? What we found from search data and one month's experience
https://ds.yahoo.co.jp/report/20250930.html
Yahoo Data Solutions will continue to convey the power and excitement of big data and promote various initiatives to return the value of big data to society.
About Yahoo Data Solutions
Yahoo Data Solutions" is a service that provides companies and local governments with insights that lead to business creation, growth support, and problem solving by utilizing big data obtained from LINE Yahoo's diverse services. DS.INSIGHT" is a desk research tool that allows customers to conduct their own analysis based on search and human flow data. Please note that this service handles only statistical data and does not contain any personally identifiable information.
Official site:https://ds.yahoo.co.jp/
