[–] facepaint 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago (edited ago)
This guy has an informed (he lived in Japan for several years) perspective on the fall in population.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaTBXDvxxzI
Bottom line is that 80% of the 35 year old men are only earning poverty line wages. They cannot afford to support a wife & family.
It also doesn't help that those same man are expected to work overtime without pay, and once their wives have a child their wives stop fucking them.
I suspect that Japan could make a huge dent in all of this by requiring overtime pay.
With overtime pay, the companies would hire more people instead of paying extra for more hours. That would increase the wage competition for workers. Those same men would then be able to go home & spend more time with their wives & families.
[–] ArsCortica 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Agreed. That more woman go for the career rather than the family option arguably plays a role in this, but Japan's entire work culture - overtime up the ass, poor pay, all but mandatory after-job drinking sessions with colleagues and superiors - is poison to any plans of creating a family.
I actually recall there was a study where the majority of Japanese women in the respective age group would like to get married, whereas the men were interested in having a girlfriend, but disliked the prospect of a long-term / solid relationship.
[–] headfire 1 point 6 points 7 points (+7|-1) ago
Given that only women make babies, that is a reasonable assertion.