Gender Differences in Understanding of the Parental Leave System: Empirical Evidence from Japan

Understanding the parental leave system at childbearing age is crucial for life after childbirth, regardless of gender. According to a 2021 UNICEF report, Japan has the best paid paternity leave policy in the world. However, the uptake rate of parental leave for Japanese male employees remains low compared to international averages. Many Japanese fathers may be underutilizing this benefit of this highly ranked parental leave system. Although there are several reasons for this, this study focuses on a lack of understanding of the particulars parental leave system. The empirical results of this study show that female employees possess more knowledge than their male counterparts and that the determinants of this knowledge differ between men and women. A worrying aspect of these results is the lack of opportunities for young male employees to improve their parental leave knowledge in the “lowest-low fertility” society of Japan. Future research is needed to try to identify new determinants of this knowledge to better understand and overcome the relationship of this problem to Japan’s low fertility rate.