Chapter 6 Making Children an Attractive Choice 6.1 To Make Marriage and Childbirth 'Attractive' Rather Than a 'Burden'

Building a society that makes marriage and childbirth more attractive

Behind the declining birthrate is not only the economic burden and social changes, but also a shift in values where 'marriage and child-rearing are no longer considered attractive choices'.

In the past, 'having a family' and 'raising children' were the center of life. However, in modern times, 'individual freedom' and 'career development' are emphasized, and having children is increasingly perceived as a 'choice with a heavy burden'.

So, how can 'having children' become an attractive choice? In this chapter, let's think about building a society that makes marriage and childbirth positive.

6.1 To Make Marriage and Childbirth 'Attractive' Rather Than a 'Burden'

To create a society where marriage and childbirth are accepted as 'pleasures' rather than 'burdens', a shift in values is necessary. In modern times, negative impressions such as 'having children = difficult', 'costs money', and 'takes away time' take precedence. However, this can be changed depending on social systems and structures.

1. Sharing the 'joy' of child-rearing with society as a whole

• Promoting positive child-rearing: Increase stories in media and social media that convey the joy and significance of child-rearing. In particular, introduce success stories to spread the image that 'life becomes richer with children'.

• Strengthening connections between parents: Foster local child-rearing communities and create an environment where child-rearing is not isolated. Revitalize local events and child-rearing salons to create an environment where parents can raise children with peace of mind.

• Making men's participation in child-rearing the norm: Create a culture in companies and society as a whole that encourages fathers' involvement in child-rearing. For example, establish systems such as making it mandatory for men to take childcare leave.

2. Mechanisms to reduce economic burden

• Utilization of Basic Income: By having a certain income for everyone regardless of whether they have children or not, the burden of child-rearing is reduced. This can reduce parents' awareness of 'child-rearing = economic burden'.

• Enhancement of housing support: Strengthen housing support systems that make it easier for households raising children to live. For example, expand rent subsidy systems for families with children and expand mortgage tax deductions.

• Optimization of education costs
  Create a system that does not require excessive investment in education.Aim for a society where each family can freely choose the costs they spend on education through the introduction of Basic Income (BI).
  Rather than the government uniformly bearing university tuition fees,it is important to create an environment where each family can choose education reasonably within the scope of BI.
  Also, by reviewing the values that place too much emphasis on academic background andbuilding a society that utilizes individual abilities and aptitudes,the pressure that 'expensive educational investment is necessary' will be reduced.

3. Social design that enables the balance between 'freedom' and 'child-rearing'

• Promotion of flexible work styles: Popularize remote work and short-time regular employee systems to make it easier to balance child-rearing and work. It is also important for companies to actively introduce systems that allow careers to be built while raising children.

• Utilization of the sharing economy: Reduce the burden on parents through the spread of babysitters and housekeeping services. In particular, local governments and the private sector should cooperate to create a system that can be used at low cost.

• Strengthening child-rearing support in the community: Foster an awareness of raising children as a community, not just in nursery schools and daycare centers. For example, spread the idea of 'co-rearing' (tomo-iku) and create a culture where children are raised by the entire community.

4. A shift in consciousness to view having children as a 'social asset'

• Rooting the value of raising children as a society: For example, creating mechanisms for society as a whole to support families with children.

• Expanding corporate childcare support systems: Creating incentives so that companies that support childcare are recognized.

• Strengthening the role of local communities: Reviving neighborhood relationships and introducing mechanisms where children are valued as members of the community.

By supporting marriage and childbirth as a society as a whole, rather than forcing them as 'individual responsibilities,' might 'having children' become an attractive option?

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#Marriage #Childbirth #Childrearing #SocialBuilding #DecliningBirthrateCountermeasures #AttractiveOption #ChangeInValues #PositiveParenting #ChildcareSupport #ReductionOfEconomicBurden #BasicIncome #HousingSupport #EducationExpenses #FlexibleWorkStyles #RemoteWork #SharingEconomy #CommunityChildrearing #CoEducation #SocialAsset #ConsciousnessReform