心の隙間に響く結婚願望、いまだ遠い産声　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　気ままなリライト９２

出生率「西高東低」が鮮明に　徳島・宮崎が健闘 - 日本経済新聞

Japan's falling birth and marriage rates are much like silent echoes in a vast canyon, mirroring the struggle of the younger generation to harmonize their ideal life goals with the landslides of reality they have met on their path. Those individuals are finding themselves caught in a quandary between their actual circumstances and their envisioned fulfilling life, particularly the innate yearning to tie the knot and nurture a family tree. For many of them, societal obstacles preventing their hopes of hearing the tender cries of their offspring seem insurmountable, making the option of staying single or trimming the branches of their family trees more appealing and inevitable.

Marriage and fertility rates have been tied together in a synchronized downward dance. The fertility rate, defined as the average number of children a woman between the ages of 15 and 39 will bear throughout her lifetime, has been decreasing. Alongside, the number of individuals turning away from marriage has been on an upward trend. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reported a seven-year continuous drop in the total fertility rate, reaching a record low of 1.26 in 2022, matching the level observed in 2005. This downward trend was further illuminated by a survey conducted in 2021, revealing an increase in individuals who showed no inclination towards matrimony. Specifically, 17.3% of men and 14.6% of women between the ages of 18 and 34 expressed no intent to marry. The figure was significantly higher compared with 1982, when only 2.3% of men and 4.1% of women claimed they would remain single.

A shrinking pool of potential spouses with a marketable value in the marriage market is casting a further shadow over the fertility landscape, already eroded by a rise in the number of individuals with no yearning to say ‘I do’. Despite a burning desire for genuine companionship and love, a vast majority of single men and women are finding themselves trapped in a limbo of unfulfilled emotional desires. In the phenomenon of choice overload, a select few individuals are highly sought-after as potential partners due to their perceived exceptional desirability. Many marriage hunters hold out for what they perceive as an ideal match, sidelining those who fail to meet their specific criteria. As a result, a large number of individuals are left stranded in the shadow of mismatch, struggling to secure a partner who can fulfill their deep-seated emotional needs in the complex matchmaking setting. The void of emotional fulfillment serves as a heavy weight, drawing the fertility rate deeper into its downward spiral.

Behind the escalating trend of individuals choosing to stay single is the justification for their perception that the shadows of matrimony eclipse its sunshine. The financial shackles of marital commitment, further intensified by the vise grip of chronic income stagnation, are nudging many bachelors toward foreseeing a psychological black hole, a chasm too intimidating for them to peer into. Feeling financially ill-equipped to support a new family and children, those men are either deciding to shy away from marriage, or seeking the glimmer of light in a dual-income lifestyle in which household duties and childcare responsibilities are equally shared with their partners. As the decision involves giving up personal freedom in exchange for the joy of parenthood, they are regarding the investment in marriage as having insufficient returns. On the flip side, financially independent women, once seen as damsels in distress seeking the sanctuary of marriage for future stability, are now transforming into hawks who prioritize their flight of personal freedom over the binding nest of conventional spousal or parental duties. The worth they assign to their wings of independence is proving too lofty for a majority of their male peers remaining brave for diving into the fiercely competitive arena of courtship.

The relationship between women's social advancement and fertility rates is presenting a complex, double-edged scenario. On one side, women armed with their higher academic backgrounds, utilizing their degree to bridge the wage gap with male colleagues, tends to press pause on the melodious serenade playing in their minds to tune into the relentless rhythm of their career ambitions. Their pursuit of professional growth postpones their quest for Mr. Right, turning them into late bloomers in the garden of matrimony. They stand in contrast to their less-educated, lower-income counterparts, who spend their youth enhancing their emotional intelligence through a plethora of romantic encounters in order to find their other half. The ripple effect is a dwindling tempo of fertility rates. On the other hand, organizations boasting a higher percentage of women in leadership roles tend to foster an environment more supportive of female employees striving to balance their careers and personal lives. The working atmosphere favors married women who are juggling their professional responsibilities and child-rearing duties. Also, such a supportive work environment encourages new fathers to take paternity leave to the fullest, allowing them to engage positively in newborn care, reducing the burden traditionally shouldered by their spouses. This flexibility in the traditional gender role in the workplace is likely to boost fertility rates among married working women.

The fertility rate within each prefecture has been heavily shaped by the regional attitudes of married women towards work-life balance. Amid the overall decline in fertility rates across Japan in 2022, only Toyama and Tottori prefectures recorded a marginal rise from 2021. A shared characteristic in those prefectures is the married couples’ departure from the traditional gender roles. Instead of sticking to the conventional norm where husbands serve as the sole earners and wives are homemakers, a majority of married women in those regions are viewing post-birth employment not just as an option but as a standard path. The regional traits are increasing the likelihood of maintaining a dual-income model after childbirth, thus keeping alive the married couples' aspiration to nurture the branches of their family trees. Driven by a pervasive culture of empathy, rooted in the region’s hospitable attitudes towards expectant mothers, a high rate of married women, particularly those with children, are actively participating in the local workforce, although relatively fewer of them were in managerial positions compared with their counterparts in Kochi and Tokyo, where, interestingly, the fertility rates were not as elevated.

Among the 27 prefectures successful in preventing a further dip below the record-low level of fertility rates in 2005, Tokushima and Miyazaki have proudly showcased their strategies promoting both professional and personal engagement of women in local communities. With a fertility rate of 1.42, Tokushima's initiatives were as noteworthy as those of Miyazaki, where the rate stood at 1.65. Miyazaki's efforts are evident in Ebino City, home to an electronic part manufacturer where 70% of employees are female. The company, frequently heralded as a role model, offers flexible work hours and generous maternity leave, demonstrating its commitment to creating a supportive environment for expecting and child-rearing employees. In Tokushima, where the proportion of women in managerial roles rose to an impressive 19.6% in 2020, reaching the pinnacle in the national standings and overstepping the country's average of 15.7%, around 80% of its municipalities are bolstering pre- and post-natal care programs, individually tailored to each expectant and new mother. Those efforts are realized with the invaluable assistance of nurses and midwives. One of the beneficiaries of the programs, 41-year-old Akiko Wasa, shared her insights from a monthly parenting class in Minami Town, “When weaning away from breastfeeding or bottle-feeding was challenging, a midwife’s advice taught me how irreplaceable role a new mother could play in nurturing a newborn’s developing sense of autonomy. The midwife recommended transitioning from bottle-feeding to using a cup, explaining that learning to drink from a cup encourages coordination and self-regulation. My baby learned to gauge the feedback from his tactile senses, understanding how to hold the cup with his hands, guide it to his mouth, and controlling the amount he drinks,” she said.