A recent study shows that over 30% of female doctors with children in Japan have had a period in which they were shouldering 100% of child care by themselves.
The results were announced on May 17 by the Association of Japan Medical Colleges. It highlighted the fact that a certain number of doctors who are also mothers have been forced to experience one-operation child care in which one parent handles household chores as well as care for their children.
The study targeted doctors at university hospitals and other medical institutions between December 2020 and February 2021 and received responses from 5,003 doctors, of which about 40% were women.
When asked about the proportion of child care they share with their partners, 31.8% of female respondents said 100%, while 55.2% said they took on 80% or more, meaning that 87% of female doctors should have at least 80% of child care. 8.4% of male doctors said they handled 100% of child care, while 14.5% said 80% or more.
Around 40% of respondents said they were unsatisfied about their work-life balance, with some saying that the workload was a major burden and that they were pressed by time constraints. Yukiko Hayashi, a Tokyo Medical University president who was involved in the research, said that women taking much of the child care responsibilities has become a bottleneck for female doctors' advancement. She said an awareness update among those in leadership positions is essential to bring about gender equality in child care and housework.