In Japan, the share of unmarried people aged 18 to 34 who say they do not want children has passed 30 percent for the first time, while the ideal number of children fell to the lowest level in the survey's history.
The share of unmarried Japanese men and women aged 18 to 34 who say they do not want to have children has exceeded 30 percent for the first time.
광고 문의 · 300×250The same survey found the ideal number of children at its lowest since the series began. The share saying they intend to marry remains high, showing a separation between that intention and plans for children.
Reasons cited included the cost of raising children and of housing, difficulty combining work and childcare, and concern about career interruption. Responses citing a wish to keep one's own time also increased.
The Japanese government has expanded child allowances and childcare services, though many analysts hold that cash support alone cannot change intentions.
Demographic change affects the labor market, pensions and local administration in sequence, with school consolidation and access to medical care seen as the first areas to surface.
Surveys in Korea repeatedly confirm results in the same direction, and the two societies share conditions of high housing costs and long working hours.
This paper does not treat fertility intention statistics as a measure for judging individual choices. They are read more accurately as data on how changes in conditions are reflected in intentions.
