Japanese families to be paid to have kids
Posted by womenagerie on September 4, 2009
Japan is said to be one with the lowest birthrate in the world, and to solve this problem, the government is planning to pay Japanese families to have kids.
The proposal to pay families to have kids was made by the new ruling party, Democratic Party of Japan who came to power as a result of the recent elections.
The proposal is to pay parents about $3,400 a year per child, until they reach high school. This is to boost Japan’s birthrate – one of the lowest in the world, and is a major drag on the country’s economy. It is also compounded by Japan’s rapidly aging population.
CNN interviewed one mother named Yoshiko Sato, who said she would love to give her only son a brother or a sister. But money struggles and Japan’s cost of living have pushed the mother to wait.
The proposal to pay parents about $3,400 a year per child has got her thinking seriously about expanding her family.
While the proposal has gotten positive feedbacks from mothers like Sato, it also has its share of critics.
Economist Yuri Okina said she wonders where Japan’s government is going to come up with the money to fund it, adding that the plan is not an instant fix.
What’s needed, Okina said, is a way for women to remain in the work force after having children instead of being forced out because of lack of child care. “We have to make it normal in Japan for a woman to raise a child and have a career,” Okina said.
Others say the plan would not fix one very significant problem for working families, and that is the lack of day care centers.
Going back to work would be tough because there are so few day care centers.
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