The average period of paternity leave taken by new fathers is shorter than the period widely viewed as necessary to support postpartum mothers at more than half of large Japanese firms, a Kyodo News survey has shown.
In a survey of 110 big companies, 64 of which gave responses, about half said their male employees taking leave for child care were away for less than a month, the minimum period during which obstetrics and gynecology specialists say mothers need intensive support after giving birth.
As the main obstacles in promoting paternity leave, the respondents cited a lack of motivation from employees to take such leave, difficulty in finding replacement staff and a lack of recognition of the necessity among managers. The possibility of a fall in income during the leave were also raised as a major concern.