午夜剧场

"The reason men cannot participate in childcare is a 'problem of social structure.'"

——This book, titled "Post-Ikumen," is presented as a volume that unravels the major transformations occurring in "paternal leave" from a social perspective.

As an obstetrician and gynecologist, the author interacts with pregnant women and mothers, and as an occupational physician, with working fathers. In these roles, I have seen many fathers who struggle to engage effectively in childcare, and I believe there is a deep-rooted "social structure" behind this. Based on interviews with more than 70 parents, I have framed the question of "why men cannot do childcare well" as a social issue and carefully presented solutions.

In the first half, based on the real voices of fathers and mothers and various data, I explained the background of how "male participation in childcare" came to be required and the environment in which men face childcare. I argued that there is a "triple burden" of "no knowledge, no experience, and no support," and that the current situation in Japan is such that unless a man has an exceptionally high aptitude for childcare (an "Ikumen"), he cannot engage in childcare effectively.

In the second half, as an answer to this, I have compiled recommendations as a professional ("Post-Ikumen") on what companies, society, and individual fathers should do. Simultaneously, as a general incorporated association, I am also conducting projects to implement the contents of this book in collaboration with local governments.

Paternal leave in Japan today has become well-established as a system due to legal amendments and other factors. However, "taking leave" does not automatically mean "being able to do childcare." Rather, if men are simply forced to take leave formally, it becomes a target of criticism as "leave in name only," and if they are tied to childcare without support, it leads to social isolation. Along with the system, support at the community and institutional levels is necessary, but this has not yet been addressed, and I hope my book will serve as a catalyst for that.

Many readers have praised the book, saying it "verbalized the frustrations of childcare," is "systematically summarized based on history and evidence," and offers an "important perspective that has been overlooked until now." This is a book I want not only fathers but also partners, families, supervisors, corporate representatives, and government officials to read, and I would be honored if the 午夜剧场 alumni would read it as well.

Shodai Hirano

Chuokoron-Shinsha

272 pages, 1,034 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.