Do you think adopting a four-day workweek could help boost Japan’s falling birthrate?

The four day work week is a great idea, but it doesn't apply to all careers. It is up to the employer and employee to come to an agreement which suits all parties. If the employer says no, then tough. But if there is sufficient wiggle room and it's appropriate for that job then it could be a big positive for those people. It's not a black and white issue.

According to statistics, the best thing for that is a power cut. No electricity = go to bed early. Makes about as much sense as a four day week!

Not sure, but I think the government bonus pay for having kids (something like 30,000 per kid a month?) is working. I'm seeing mothers in my neighborhood bicycling around with 3 and sometimes even 4 little kids on one bicycle. I'm always afraid they'll have an accident.

definitely not -at least in Japan where many are obsessed with work/make no mistake overwork equals productivity/

just imagine average Tarosan and his stress-what can can I do 3 days off in row?

No because Taro would spend his extra day watching anime or porn and Keiko would have an extra day shopping with her friends or getting her nails done.

Is a 4-day work week going make people want to get together? Seriously doubt it and it's not just a problem about work as high school and university students of opposite sexes don't seem to interact much or very well. The guys don't know how to act around women and social awkwardness can't be rectified by changing work habits.

It's a multifaceted problem with deep roots in 1) powerful, controlling work culture which rips families apart regularly and limits job opportunities

2) negative family experiences (few happy marriages as role models), and 3) a culture that discourages real communication/real relationships (avoiding conflict, repressing feelings, stifling individuality). Just to name a few... This is all pushing Japan to be a sterile society. Changing the number of official work days won't touch these issues.

Japan would NEVER adopt a four-day workweek. That, or they'd just call it a four-day work week and allow for two other days to be forced onto workers, with a "maximum cap of 100 hours overtime" on top of that. They'll probably only pay them for four days a week, though.

shut down the internet and television friday through sunday.

that ought to do it.

If they actually did it AND people's salaries didn't decrease because of it then yes.

As a stand alone measure? no in any significative way, but as a part of a huge social reform it could be.

"Do you think adopting a four-day workweek could help boost Japan’s falling birthrate?"

Unless the fifth day is Viagra induced erection day nothing gonna change.

No but it will increase domestic violance

"Upon hearing of the idea of a four day workweek, a typical company employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, commented as below.

If I have an extra day off work, I don't get to hang around until 11 PM and brown-nose the section chief to get that promotion. Without that promotion, my wife can't boast about my status to the nosy old bags at the PTA and the 町内会. On top of that, what am I going to do with that extra day off? You think I have a hobby or something?"

I think another full day of the week with my family would drive me away from my wife more than anything else. I'd just end up doing all the housework she refuses to do.

Oof, it's a big no-no from those well-versed in the concept of campaign of the month approach of this country.

Do your job well,go home when it's done.

No, that would not work here at all because of the deep rooted work culture. Ask any salaryman why is he doing overtime day by day. Because his salary is a joke, he is too stressed to pay all bills and taxes, he is not in a love partnership with his wife but. Mostly a 2 way beneficial one. He: ATM, Her: just a partner managing house finances and planing for daily expensive lunches with other entitled housewives.

Ever wonder why so many guys are filling the girls clubs, snack bars, soap lands, etc?

Unless there is a sharp change in some of the cultural things here, nothing is going to be change.

Nothing to do with work, it's the trend now.

Not sure... But I'll give it my best shot

Of course not, in contrary. Many will not be able to afford the kids they already have instead. Everyone can calculate it simply by themselves. Even under the best optimistic scenario where you get the same salary as before, but now you have to distribute the money on three leisure time days instead of two. Even worse it becomes of course if you only get four days' payment and now this lower amount has to be splitter on three leisure time days. In a few weeks or months the population majority will fall into a very very poor and boring lifestyle, and my guess is, most of them can't handle that, turning aggressive or maybe criminal.

I think it would help, yes.

As others said, I'm not going to hold my breath on Japan implementing a 4-day work week anytime soon.

But long working time 100% affects your personality, mood, outlook on life, and energy levels. My former job had looong, intense hours, and when the weekend came, I was dead and spent Saturday facedown in bed, and then on Sunday I forced myself to go out and be social with friends, but found I had little mental/physical energy to put into conversations and activities with them. I imagine that the same situation for a married person would certainly deteriorate their relationship with their spouse - conversationally, emotionally, and physically.

Having an extra day off per week would help that, I think. It'd let the exhausted worker recover, and allow them to participate more in their relationship, and be a better version of themselves for their partner.

What encourages famiies to have babies isn't just a bit more free time, it's the long-term economic outlook for couples.

A woman has alway been attracted to males who can provide the greatest amount of secuirty for them and their future offspring. When men have secure, well-paying jobs, the likelihood of them having more children increases.

As Japan has cut its number of shai-in, increased instability and has found its number of part-time workers to be about 40% of the workforce, that has had a major impact on families deciding to have one or no children as compared with having two, three or four.

No. The two are unrelated.

Previews generation worked as much and they still loved making tons of babies.

No, as someone with 3 kids, I can assure it's nowhere near 30,000 per kid per month. Around half that or less, depending on how many kids and their ages.

Not sure, but I think the government bonus pay for having kids (something like 30,000 per kid a month?) is working.

No, as someone with 3 kids, I can assure it's nowhere near 30,000 per kid per month. Around half that or less, depending on how many kids and their ages.

Depends on the municipality where you live. Some are much more generous than others, which is basically a desperate bid by one city to attract families away from other cities.

It often works only to minimal effect, if at all, just like shortening the workweek would not boost birth rates significantly, if at all. Too many people would spend that extra day interacting with screens, not with actual humans.

Stressed and diseased populations of animals, such as animals put in unnatural environments like zoos, tend not to reproduce well. Humans in the “virtual” era are no different.