Comparative Perceptions of Marriage, Childbirth, and Childcare in Japan and Korea

Abstract

In this article, I compare the perceptions of the Japanese and Koreans about marriage, childbirth, and childcare, and examine how these two groups differ in their views on population issues. Marriage and fertility intentions were less prevalent among the Japanese than among Koreans. The Japanese regarded health and economic conditions as important factors in decisions about family formation and childbirth, while for Koreans potential career interruption was considered more significant. When it came to housework and childcare, there were discrepancies between the actual division of responsibilities and what was perceived as fair. More than half of participants in both Japan and Korea agreed on the difficulty of achieving work-life balance. Regarding childcare, a vast majority of participants in both countries viewed it as a responsibility shared by society and the family. Meanwhile, although Koreans were more aware than the Japanese of existing population policies, their perceived accessibility of available programs, especially paternal leave, was lower. Perceptions of marriage, childbirth, and childcare are, after all, not so much about individual choices as they are shaped by social structures in which various conditions—work-family balance, possibility of career continuation, and policy effectiveness—act on one another in interdependent ways. In this light, population policies down the line will need to be pursued in parallel with efforts to initiate changes at the social-structural level.