What is the cause of Japan's low birth rate?

[Brass]

Something that I have always been curious about.

Japan has had a long time problem with birth rates, but what stands out to me is that Japan doesn't really have the problems the western countries do.

Western countries (America and Europe) are overran with feminism and skanks so our women are generally not marriage material so American men generally avoid American women for anything other than sex. As a result the US has the highest sex rate in the world but a very low birth rate.

Japan doesn't have any of these issues and I have been corresponding with a female Japanese pen pal and she says women there are still looked down upon in the workplace and gender roles are still very much in place. Not that I support strict gender roles but my point is feminism hasn't completely destoryed women like it has in America.

So what exactly is the deal in Japan? Their birth rate should be AT LEAST 2.0 yet from what I can find it's 1.1 or something extremely low.

[JohnBraden]

I heard that at the rate that was current a year or two ago, the population of Japan in the year 3000 would be 3.... 3 people....

Generalizing, men overwork and don't have the time or desire to be intimate with their spouse, so procreation rates aren't the same as other countries.

It is said women are paid less and seen as temporary labor because they are expected to leave their job when they become pregnant. Therefore, women try to get ahead in the workplace by not getting pregnant or by being single altogether. This also reduces birth rates.

But these are just observations of a gaijin and are not intended to be facts.

[KuranUSA]

I believe,and someone correct me if i'm wrong on this,that in Japan,as a general rule,they do not have the concept of maternity leave as they do in the US or UK. This would be one reason that women would do their best not to get pregnant if they are focusing on their careers.

Another reason might be that, until recently,Japan was still a very male dominated society. If the husband dosen't want a child,then that's how it was. As the generations go by,this line of thought is diminishing,which is good,but there is still some of it.

Back on careers,I would guess that many people are simply too busy working to have a child.

These are all my opinions,so someone feel free to correct me if my facts are askew.

[Sinestra]

Here are two articles that should help with your questions one is a few years old but the information in the article addresses a lot regarding why Japan's birth rate is so low and still falling.

Italy is also facing the same problem. Birthrates in multiple western countries have actually started to decline there are many reasons behind this. But we will stick to Japan for now.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Gender issues key to low birth rate

A special report on Japan: The dearth of births | The Economist

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by Brass

Something that I have always been curious about.

Japan has had a long time problem with birth rates, but what stands out to me is that Japan doesn't really have the problems the western countries do.

Western countries (America and Europe) are overran with feminism and skanks so our women are generally not marriage material so American men generally avoid American women for anything other than sex. As a result the US has the highest sex rate in the world but a very low birth rate.

Japan doesn't have any of these issues and I have been corresponding with a female Japanese pen pal and she says women there are still looked down upon in the workplace and gender roles are still very much in place. Not that I support strict gender roles but my point is feminism hasn't completely destoryed women like it has in America.

So what exactly is the deal in Japan? Their birth rate should be AT LEAST 2.0 yet from what I can find it's 1.1 or something extremely low.

Frankly I find your reasoning offensive. Women's liberation may have prompted a move towards smaller families but it is absolutely NOT the sole cause of the modern declining birthrate, and it's disgustingly narrow minded of you to pin the whole problem on women alone. Have a good stare at the nearest man (or yourself) and consider this; male impotence has rocketed in the last decade or two, due to a combination of bad habits and exposure to modern chemicals. Also more men expect their partners to work in order to be 'marriageable' and are less inclined to adhere to their OWN traditional gender role.

As for Japan, the low birth-rate has less to do with the freer role of women in society and the fact it is incredibly impractical to have a big family. It takes a long time to establish enough of a career (for either gender) in order to afford to marry, dating behavior is more prolonged with modern couples and so people marry later and even if they don't marry, people are having kids later in life compared to decades past.

Unlike other countries abortions are more available (albeit expensive) and there's no religious slur against aborting unwanted pregnancies. Japan has small houses so having a dozen babies is often a terrible idea, and it's incredibly costly. If a woman marries and has kids, she may lose out on income if she chooses to stay at home and then struggle to get full-time regular employment again, so couples can go from two people on two reasonable incomes to three or more people on less. As the cost of living in some areas is high, this can be a point of real concern for some families. It's particularly hard to be a single parent- there's a slight stigma against it, unless you're bereaved or divorced, and again the financial situation is difficult, so women in that situation have more incentive to abort than keep the child. Of course, some wouldn't take that route. There's no real drive for men to have big families or women to have a lot of children, so people don't.

ETA: Wow, that article. What possessed that politician to think it was appropriate to refer to women as 'birth machines'? And 'devices'? Is that... men? Wonder what the original Japanese was...

ETA 2: I realize I may have mis-read the initial tone of the OP in the first post. If, as later posts suggests, you didn't mean to imply that feminism = ruined women= low birth rate= BAD AND TOTALLY ALL WOMEN'S FAULT, then I duly apologize. If you did, then my point still stands.

[Brass]

Originally Posted by Sinestra

Here are two articles that should help with your questions one is a few years old but the information in the article addresses a lot regarding why Japan's birth rate is so low and still falling.

Italy is also facing the same problem. Birthrates in multiple western countries have actually started to decline there are many reasons behind this. But we will stick to Japan for now.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Gender issues key to low birth rate

A special report on Japan: The dearth of births | The Economist

Wow those are two very good article, especially the last one.

Just as I suspected, it seems the problem in Japan has almost nothing to do with women. It seems like it's too much of an economic disadvantage to have kids and that the Japanese ultra-urban ultra-expensive lifestyle is a major deterrent to kids.

Also, the article touched on the social stigma to out of wedlock births which because of the feminist movement is no longer present in the US. In fact single mothers are celebrated here and rewarded with welfare checks

Very very interesting how different Japan's problem are than the US.

[Brass]

Originally Posted by Columbine

Frankly I find your reasoning offensive. Women's liberation may have prompted a move towards smaller families but it is absolutely NOT the sole cause of the modern declining birthrate, and it's disgustingly narrow minded of you to pin the whole problem on women alone. Have a good stare at the nearest man (or yourself) and consider this; male impotence has rocketed in the last decade or two, due to a combination of bad habits and exposure to modern chemicals. Also more men expect their partners to work in order to be 'marriageable' and are less inclined to adhere to their OWN traditional gender role.

As for Japan, the low birth-rate has less to do with the freer role of women in society and the fact it is incredibly impractical to have a big family. It takes a long time to establish enough of a career (for either gender) in order to afford to marry, dating behavior is more prolonged with modern couples and so people marry later and even if they don't marry, people are having kids later in life compared to decades past.

Unlike other countries abortions are more available (albeit expensive) and there's no religious slur against aborting unwanted pregnancies. Japan has small houses so having a dozen babies is often a terrible idea, and it's incredibly costly. If a woman marries and has kids, she may lose out on income if she chooses to stay at home and then struggle to get full-time regular employment again, so couples can go from two people on two reasonable incomes to three or more people on less. As the cost of living in some areas is high, this can be a point of real concern for some families. It's particularly hard to be a single parent- there's a slight stigma against it, unless you're bereaved or divorced, and again the financial situation is difficult, so women in that situation have more incentive to abort than keep the child. Of course, some wouldn't take that route. There's no real drive for men to have big families or women to have a lot of children, so people don't.

Oh, save me with that garbage

Feminism is DIRECTLY responsible for the declining birth rate in western countries. Men responsible? Oh please. You may think impotence may be contributing, but the fact is men don't want to marry women who act like men.

Feminism is responsibly for the free sex its ok to be a skank movement women have been on for the past 20 years. It's basically removed the stigma for women to sleep around like men. Yeah, it's fun for guys for women to slut themselves around, but NO guy wants to marry this type of women or have kids with them.

Also, I'm not some male chauvinist or anything, but if women want to work I'm perfectly fine with that and most men are. But we do appreciate a female with female qualities and females who want to take on female responsibilities. Biologically females are the ones who take care of the young and take care of the family with the resources the man brings up (money or supplies). We don't want am aggressive woman who works 12 hours a day pushing and shoving her way to the top in an attempt to "bring home the bacon". Sorry not that's not a feminine quality.

Sorry but it's the sad truth.

[Brass]

Originally Posted by Columbine

ETA 2: I realize I may have mis-read the initial tone of the OP in the first post. If, as later posts suggests, you didn't mean to imply that feminism = ruined women= low birth rate= BAD AND TOTALLY ALL WOMEN'S FAULT, then I duly apologize. If you did, then my point still stands.

Nope you got it right, thats exactly what I meant.

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by Brass

Oh, save me with that garbage

Feminism is DIRECTLY responsible for the declining birth rate in western countries. Men responsible? Oh please. You may think impotence may be contributing, but the fact is men don't want to marry women who act like men.

Feminism is responsibly for the free sex its ok to be a skank movement women have been on for the past 20 years. It's basically removed the stigma for women to sleep around like men. Yeah, it's fun for guys for women to slut themselves around, but NO guy wants to marry this type of women or have kids with them.

Also, I'm not some male chauvinist or anything, but if women want to work I'm perfectly fine with that and most men are. But we do appreciate a female with female qualities and females who want to take on female responsibilities. Biologically females are the ones who take care of the young and take care of the family with the resources the man brings up (money or supplies). We don't want am aggressive woman who works 12 hours a day pushing and shoving her way to the top in an attempt to "bring home the bacon". Sorry not that's not a feminine quality.

Sorry but it's the sad truth.

You not chauvinist? that is laughable. you obviously don't have a clue.

[Brass]

Originally Posted by dogsbody70

You not chauvinist? that is laughable. you obviously don't have a clue.

I state that most men want a feminine woman, and that makes me a chauvinist?