Essay Sample on Low Fertility in Japan

Introduciton

Currently, Japan is experiencing a very low fertility rate. This has led to lower younger population than it was a century ago. The rate of young marriages is low as most people prefer to pursue their career and work first then marriage comes secondly. The current fertility rate is 0.01 point to 1.43, this is the number of children a woman is expected to have in their lifetime. To maintain the working population and the economy of the country, the fertility rate has to increase to around 2.07. The employment system in Japan has impacted the low fertility rate.

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Maintaining the pension benefits. Current workers have to work extra to sustain the pension benefits of the already retired population. As per now, the pension rate is very high. The working population have to be deducted some income to take care of the already retired population. In Japan, employees retire at 65years meaning after this they start receiving their pension. The employment system is constraining the younger generation as they have to work double, for their sake and for the elderly. After this deduction and any other that has to be deducted in their salaries the income remaining is small to sustain them and their families.

Job security for the young people. Men are still the breadwinners in Japan if one does not have a stable source of income, they find it impossible to marry. Starting a family is costly and unless one has a stable job then they cannot satisfy the family. The ratio of permanent workers and part-time workers of the youth is high. Although they have more than one job, it does not mean more income but fewer benefits as the permanent workers. The older population occupies most of the permanent positions while the youth are entrusted to lesser duties. Job security is a great determinant of the current life one has to live and the future. It might be cheap to bring up kids in their early age but after some years the demand for more increases, this is where the challenge increases.

Increasing the rate of paternal leave and women to retain their job after childbirth (Mary, 71). In some organizations ones a woman goes for their leave they cannot be reabsorbed back in the system, they have to apply or wait for a future opportunity. Since job security is such a great task, most prefer to retain their job other than losing it due to maternity leave or any other leave associated with the children. Most men are not granted the paternal leaves ones their wives deliver. This demotivates the women since they need someone to take care of them. When the person is not available due to the employment policy then it becomes hard for them to get more children in the future. Proper considerations have to be put in place to serve both the economy of the country and also the citizens to have a better place, socially. The employees have to increase these benefits even to part-timers together with all organizations both private and public. Job protection systems are not yet implemented accordingly. One, especially the young women and men should only lose their jobs when all other strategies have failed. The current job protection system, have no privileges to the youth or a second chance. So when some factors like sickness, maternity leave have to re-occur some lose their jobs.

The lifetime employment system. From the traditional time, school leavers were absorbed in a fir, received vocational training, started job officially as they climbed the ladder. There was no chance for already trained personnel as organizations wanted to train their own employees (Estevez-Abe, 177). Some organizations have retained this approach up to now. This approach was selfish to some extent, in that, only those chosen from a tender age had to work there. Every employee was guaranteed that they will have the job until retirement unless otherwise. With this strategy, only a few out of the total grandaunts in a year are absorbed in any firm as the number is already full unless someone dies or the expansion of the organization. Organizations should shuffle employees once in a while to give an opportunity to the young women and men who are unemployed.

Attracting better employees at a lower cost. Importing employees especially from the developing countries means they will be paid less and work more hours than the inhabitants of Japan. Importation of higher technology like machinery has also impacted fertility rate negatively. With the cheap labour and machinery, organizations and firms in Japan cannot rely on the local source of labour. The employment should implement the percentage an organization to hire the local citizens. This should apply to both local and international organization. When an international organization starts its branch in Japan, the government should make sure the employment regulations are implemented and followed through all the days of the organization. There should be more on human capital investments.

For most school leavers or young employees, the starting wages are very low. The wage is only sufficient for one person after all the deductions. There is no option than one remaining single because they lack all the necessities to start a family. There is a specific age that is most appropriate for one to marry or get married. When this time frame erupts then most individuals consider it inappropriate to marry. The individuals who are older with fewer responsibilities are receiving more wages than the needy. Most of the already retired individuals have their personal businesses and others firms they are earning from so no big need for the pension and other benefits. For starters, there are no many benefits as they have to develop a name first plus experience in their career. Time is always an important factor and will normally catch up with such employment regulations. To bring up kids is such expensive thus there is a need to motivate them, both short term and long term processes.

Conclusion

The employment system in Japan needs to be revised. To the young population, the system is constraining them and working against their will. Although there has been strategies and approaches to raise the fertility rate, it cannot increase when the income levels for the youth is unstable. Job security is what the government should be working towards. Though the unemployment rate is at 3%, permanent employees are less as most depend on part-time jobs. The income level one is in is a great determinant of the major decisions one has to make. As such the income sources and employment opportunities should be made more available to the young women and men in the country.

Work Cited

Estevez-Abe, Welfare and Capitalism in Potwan Japan, Cambridge University, (2008): 175-182

Mary C. Brinton. Women and the economic miracle: Gender and work, postwar Japan. University of California Press, London, 71