Between work and the long commutes, people are exhausted when they get home. We need to regulate work hours to create a system in which men will be able to participate more in housework.

I'm confused - how will helping with housework increase the birth rate?

I would like to have my husband home at a more decent hour to interact with his little girl, and yeah, to have a bit of a break. I would also like to think about going to bed with hubby too, but everyone is just exhausted at the end of the day. A more equal distribution of housework would do wonders. Don`t assume that because a woman has chosen to stay at home with kids/whatever, that she does nothing all day or just watches tv and eats bon bons. It is called housework for a reason!

Why would men help out more at home if the wives aren't working and have all day to do the housework?

If men come home with some energy left over they ought to be thinking about taking the wife to bed anyways.

Using the word 'HOUSEWORK' to describe the work that is essential to maintain tranquility and healthy living of a 'HOME' ....was a major MEGA goof. It conjures an image of a lot of dumb 'women', or house'wives' who cant figure out how to switch the TV off, and the juicer ON.

Keeping a HOME fit to live in, and return to - for peace and relaxation, to share with the family, after a day at the office or any place where humans rub shoulders and exchange connections - needs the kind of skills that few people can learn without a lot of useful experience, from their own childhood and upbringing. It isnt something that gets done in an hour or two of shuffling clothes, edibles and crockery through this or that machine.

'HOUSEWORK' - the cleaning mending part - is microscopic in comparison with 'HOMEMAKING', although to anyone who thinks of it as easy or undemanding - I suggest they go at once to their own cupboards, bathrooms and toolboxes and check out the level of organisation, and cleanliness, before commenting further. (Timtak - hallo!)

With washing machines, dishwashers and pre-prepared food, it is not clear to me why housework help is needed.

Maybe it is just my house but nothing invented yet to wash/vaccuum floors, fold and put away the clothes and dishes that have been washed, do the shopping...

I dislike the housewives as well but until the Japanese men tell them they want homecooked meals or stop paying for everything these little women won't be getting off their butts soon.

Hanging out too long with these extremely boring, stupid and annoying wives would drive any man to the office. The longer the hours better.

Working wives may be thinking the same about their husbands. Nobody wants to go home, that's the truth of the majority, probably.

Hanging out too long with these extremely boring, stupid and annoying wives would drive any man to the office. The longer the hours better.

Well my hours are pretty normal by western standards but housework is no more appealing :-)

Japan's going to be moving in this direction anyway, much like US and Europe in the 70s and 80s, and the old farts from the bubble era (finally) retire and give way to a more reasonable generation. You'll see more stay at home husbands as women move toward (but won't totally achieve) equality in the workplace.

With washing machines, dishwashers and pre-prepared food, it is not clear to me why housework help is needed.

tmarie -

The present government have been in power only a little over three months. What research was saying for ages was ignored by the old dinosaur LDP - whose message during the election was that gender equality would 'destroy the family as we know it'.

Go for it, Fukushima. Get those men at home cleaning the windows and folding the laundry!

Oh! A minister is saying this? Maybe the government will get off it's butt and do something about it? Research has been saying this for ages and the govertnment seems to ignore it.