You don't need 'ambition.' But I want everyone to have 'freedom of choice.'

I want to see a world where career choices are more free.

The other day, I read about Shun Nakayama's wife on his note, and it gave me a lot to think about.

What was depicted there was a way of living that wasn't bound by stereotypes, choosing family structures and work styles flexibly.

For me, as I prepare to welcome a new life, that image was dazzling and resonated in my heart as a deeply earnest wish.

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To be honest, I don't have what is called 'ambition' myself.

I have never once thought that I wanted to work intensely, get promoted, and earn a higher salary than anyone else.

What I have always sought is 'peace of mind,' 'stability,' and a life that feels 'just right' for me.

I didn't aim to be a full-time employee because I wanted a high position, but simply because I wanted a foundation to live with a calm heart.

However, 'not having ambition' is not the same as 'not needing to be involved in society.'

We live in an era where the declining birthrate and aging population are constantly discussed, and there are labor shortages everywhere.

I believe it is a great loss to society when women who wish to work have their motivation crushed simply because they cannot find a nursery school or lack understanding in the workplace.

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And this is not just about women.

If there are women who work intensely, there should also be men who actively participate in child-rearing right beside them.

At my workplace, a male colleague recently took paternity leave. In the past, I might have braced myself, thinking, 'The workload will fall on me.' But now that I am in a position expecting a child myself, I can painfully imagine how much conflict and courage it took for him to make the decision to 'take time off work.'

'Men work, women stay home.'

It is time for such an old curse to be broken.

Men might also have times when they want to watch their children grow up from the closest vantage point.

Women might also have times when they want to contribute to society through their work.

What is important is not the framework of 'because you are a man' or 'because you are a woman,' but rather the ability to flexibly 'tune' how you work according to the family's situation at the time and individual desires, isn't it?

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By the time this child in my womb grows up to be an adult.

'You're a boy, so you have to be a breadwinner.'
'You're a girl, so you have to stay at home.'

I want it to be a world where such words have become obsolete.

It's fine to be ambitious, and it's fine not to be.
It's fine to work hard, and it's fine to prioritize your family.

A society where the freedom to choose how we want to be, rather than someone else's 'how you should be,' is taken for granted.

As a parent and as a working person, I sincerely hope that the world will change into such a flexible place.