childcare

Japan’s revised child care law makes it easier for fathers to take four weeks of paternity leave

The law also pressures workplaces to make child care leave policies transparent to soon-to-be parents.

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What’s the best way to close the gender gap in Japan? Japanese women weigh in

The top answer will not surprise you at all.

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Anime’s rudest little boy, Crayon Shin-chan, helps pledge support for hardworking moms

Kasukabe station’s anime ad campaign is hitting close to home for many Japanese mothers.

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Try not to cry at this series of short films showing struggles working mothers face in Japan

In Japan, it’s still considered quite normal for women to give up their jobs once they get married and focus on running the home and raising children. Not only is motherhood a respected career in itself, there really isn’t enough support for working mothers, making returning to work a prospect many women don’t aspire to.

And, as this new series of videos shows, working mothers who are also married often don’t get enough support from their spouse or co-workers. We challenge you not to tear up just a tiny bit at this video depicting the struggles of a hard-working mother whose sick child asks her “Mommy, are you okay?”

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Reasons why it’s harder to raise kids in Japan than in other countries…or not

The act of raising a child is never easy. Some countries offer parents enough rights and protections to make childcare a bit less of a burden, but the struggles and uncertainties that come with supporting another tiny human should never be disregarded.

That being said, everyone’s favorite opinionated Japanese blogger, Madame Riri, has a few things to say about how raising children in Japan is “ten times more difficult” than it is in foreign countries. Keep in mind that Madame Riri has only ever traveled to France and does not actually have any children of her own. But who knows? Perhaps there’s some truth buried beneath the mounds of limited observation, hearsay, and conjecture!

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People often criticize China’s media for their practice of censorship, but recently the Communist Party’s official newspaper People’s Daily blew the lid on a story that no other news organization dared speak of.

Only the People’s Daily should be commended for their expose regarding North Korea’s deep, deep love of children.  How much do they love kids? According to the writer of the article, North Korea’s Future Is Raised In Love, their kindergarteners eat 5 squares a day.

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