On May 21, 1:47 pm, Declan Murphy <declan_mur...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On May 21, 8:50 am, The 2-Belo <the2b...@msd.bigREMOVETHISlobe.ne.jp>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> > We have a report from the fj.life.in-japan Dynamics Officer that Declan Murphy
> > has exploded. Flight director confirms that:
>
> > >On May 20, 8:07?am, The 2-Belo <the2b...@msd.bigREMOVETHISlobe.ne.jp>
> > >wrote:
> > >> We have a report from the fj.life.in-japan Dynamics Officer that Declan Murphy
> > >> has exploded. Flight director confirms that:
>
> > >> >My (mostly female) staff have been jabbering on about ikumen this week
> > >> >and have posted to the blog
> > >> >http://preview.tinyurl.com/29kdac6
> > >> >(http://www.businessjapanese.com/news/post/2010/05/14/
> > >> >JBPPe69599e7a791e69bb8e291a1.aspx)
>
> > >> >The "stay at home dad" tv dorama series seems to be one of the
> > >> >reasons.
> > >> >(for non japanese reading folk:http://tinyurl.com/24vpmkx)
>
> > >> >Funnily (and worryingly) enough, I wasn't even aware that paid
> > >> >parental leave even existed in Japan. Admittedly most Japanese men
> > >> >can't utilize it for a variety of reasons.
>
> > >> >http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/parental_2008_09.pdf?(page
> > >> >6 if you're lazy)
>
> > >> >Turns out only Australia and the USA don't currently seem to have paid
> > >> >parental leave.
>
> > >> Oh, I love not being able to participate in this thread.
>
> > >Well sure, but part of your taxes goes to financially support people
> > >who choose to breed.
>
> > I wonder if they'll really get around to implementing that -- this
> > administration has managed to screw up or completely fail at most of their other
> > campaign pledges (the relocation of the Okinawa base, removing expressway tolls,
> > etc etc).
>
> Implementing it? AFAIK it has already been implemented (previous
> administrations).
>
> > I suppose that's for another thread, but I can't see anything tangible (like an
> > actual increase in babies) happening because of that. I figure it will be more
> > like, "yay, extra money for buying dashboard fur for the Alphard".
>
> Personally (other than as an anti-poverty measure for instance), I
> don't see any point in tax payer funded parental leave. Especially if
> its not adequately means tested. It doesn't appear to have any
> statistically significant influence on the long term birth rate or
> fertility levels. In most cases it seems be just a handout to parents
> who were intending to have children anyway.

Doesn't mean I am going to turn down the money.  I had my form filled
out
and set off the day it arrived for my sprog.

However, it is CERTAINLY not going to influence my decision to make
another
one.  The one we have now is enough for me, in spite of what the
spousal unit might
think on this particular matter.

Making it easier to leave work or being able to come back to work
after a child birth
is certainly a good thing but I think the overall attitude of "it has
never been this way
before and there is no way in hell I would be allowed to take leave"
is so firmly ingrained
on the psyche around here, that it would likely take 3-4 generations
before any sort
of relief was actually seen.  3-4 generations down the line will
probably mean another
10% drop in the population waiting for it to happen, however.