Working Fathers in Japan: Recent Trends in Housework and Childcare
This article is an excerpt from the first part of “Virtual Tour! New Market Opportunities with the Expansion of Men’s Role in Housework and Childcare”, an online seminar held on September 13, 2022.
In Part 1, we looked at the latest trends in housework and childrearing in Japanese households, providing a broad overview from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Particular attention was placed on fathers who are actively involved in housework and child-rearing, a segment that is expected to grow in the future, with an in-depth look at their consumption habits and at the “division of roles” with their wives. Furthermore, new perspectives were considered based on observation of the real lives of child-rearing households as revealed through virtual tours utilizing INTAGE’s consumer database “Consumer Life Panorama”.
Housework and childcare in dual-income households: Current status and issues
First, we presented findings from our desk research showing that the situation with regard to fathers in Japan has been changing dramatically. Figure 1 shows the trend in the number of “full-time homemaker households” and “dual-income households”.
Fig. 1
Dual-income households have been on the rise for a long time, but the number has increased dramatically since the early 2010s, reaching 12.41 million in 2021, 2.2 times the number of full-time homemaker households.
This trend can be attributed to the growing independence and career-mindedness of women, as well as economic factors such as the difficulty of supporting a family on the father’s salary alone. As a result, the number of working mothers has increased, and it has become normal for fathers to take on housework and childcare responsibilities.
So what kind of housework do fathers in dual-income households take on? We compared the household chores of moms and dads in the findings of the “Web Survey on Housework and Childrearing” conducted by INTAGE in 2022.
Fig. 2
The top household chores performed by dads are “taking out the trash”, “cleaning the bath”, and “washing dishes”. “Cleaning the bath” is notable in that it is done by moms and dads at the same rate. “Meal preparation”, on the other hand, tends to be the responsibility of moms, and the male-female gap is large. Meal preparation, in addition to requiring a certain level of cooking skill, is a burdensome chore that involves checking the ingredients in the fridge and thinking of recipes, and it is usually the mother who takes on these tasks.
Next, if we look at perceptions regarding the share of household chores performed by each partner, we can see that there is a large perception gap between moms and dads.
Fig. 3
The pie chart on the left shows dads’ own assessment of their share of household chores. The most common response is “I do 30%”. The chart on the right, on the other hand, shows moms’ perceptions of the percentage of housework done by dads, and the top response is “He only does 10% or less”.
A large “perception gap” exists between moms and dads regarding the degree to which household chores are shared. The reasons given by moms include some harsh comments such as “He sometimes helps fold the laundry, but he claims to be the one who does it even though he hardly ever does” and “I make arrangements so that it’s easy for him to do the shopping and meal preparation, so I wish he wouldn’t think that he does these things all by himself”.
People talk about the “frequency problem” and “housework with no name”, and the perception gap regarding the division of housework and childcare is a deeply-rooted issue in dual-income households, and an important point that can provide us with insights.
Dads in dual-income households: Insights and implications for marketing
Next, we used Consumer Life Panorama (Virtual Home Visit), a tool for understanding consumers, to observe their lives as a whole, and also conducted qualitative research to look at the conditions and issues of consumers in greater resolution.
Fig. 4
First, one issue that characteristically occurs in some dual-income households is the perception gap between husband and wife regarding the division of housework and childcare. Specifically, the wife might complain, “Why do I have to do all the housework? It’s unfair.” The husband’s position is “I’ll help with the housework. In this day and age, I guess dads have to do their part, too.” In response to this, the wife feels vaguely dissatisfied.
One day, after finishing a household chore, the husband says with a smug look on his face, “I did it!” The wife snaps back, “Don’t look at me like a big shot just because you do something once in a while. I’m working, too, so it’s only natural that you do your part. Stop acting like you’re the good person here!” The husband thinks, “She’s even grumpier than before”, and wonders what he is supposed to do.
Of course, this does not apply to all families, but it is not unusual for family relationships in dual-income families to deteriorate as a result of such misunderstandings. Therefore, it is important to develop products and campaigns based on an understanding of these situations and emotions.
Let us now consider some insights into the issues facing these dual-income households. “Insight” is defined here as something that connects your business issues with an overall understanding of the consciousness and unconsciousness of both users and non-users.
Fig. 5
Dads in dual-income households are very conscious of “Mom’s mood” in their daily lives. And since the atmosphere at home becomes very uncomfortable when mom is in a bad mood, this is a situation they particularly want to avoid.
This suggests that a good way to design a product and campaign would be to tie it to the insight that “Dad does not want to spoil Mom’s mood”. Specifically, rather than emphasizing the fact that “even Dad can do housework and childcare easily and conveniently”, show how “the happiness and mood of the entire family is enhanced by Dad doing housework and childcare”. Moreover, it is important to design a positive context in which “Dad himself feels comfortable at home and his happiness level increases” as a result.
As an example of product development based on this insight, let’s take a look at an idea for a “low cost, high return dish for Dad”.
Fig. 6
For many dads, preparing meals can be a daunting task. Especially for those who lack cooking skills and are still unfamiliar with the process of preparing meals for their families, even a product that “simplifies part of the cooking process” feels difficult. Instead, a product design that “completes the cooking process in a single step” would be a better fit.
One father interviewed for this study shared with us a recipe for “a tasty dish I sometimes make”: “I mix dried daikon radish with canned mackerel, and add sesame oil and soy sauce.” He showed great pleasure as he explained, “There’s nothing difficult about it at all, because there’s no heating or cutting. I just mix the ingredients, and everyone in the family enjoys it.” The key point appears to be that “even if you don’t have the skills, you can never go wrong, and it won’t cost you money or take too long”. This ends up becoming “Dad’s cooking”, rather than a substitute for Mom’s cooking, and not only gives Dad confidence in making meals but also contributes to the happiness of the whole family.
Finally, let’s take a look at insight-based design vs. design that is not insight-based.
Fig. 7
When we think of a scene where dad cooks a meal, what generally comes to mind is a “special holiday dish”, prepared on a day when, because there is plenty of time, Dad says, “I’ll cook. I’ll buy some nice meat and make yakiniku.” In such a situation, it’s quite possible that Mom feels a nagging sense of frustration, rather than “gratitude”, and she may be thinking to herself, “Why is it that he only cooks when the mood strikes him? Stop acting like you’re the good person here!”
The right side of the slide shows a design based on the insight that in dual-income households, “Dad doesn’t want to spoil Mom’s mood”. The situation is “Dad’s regular weekday cooking”, and the basic premise is that Dad feels gratitude and consideration for Mom: “I’m not a good cook, but I’ll make dinner on Tuesday and Thursday, so please take it easy”.
In terms of product category, it might be an easy-to-prepare dish using canned or retort-packed food – for example, a rice bowl or a one-plate meal. As a distinctive feature, it should be something with special attention to ingredients or production methods that excites dad and gives him a “story” to tell his family. The goal is to create a success experience for dads with limited cooking skills, so that dad can make it his own standard, unique dish that always tastes good.
This is just one example of how we can expand on an idea gained through an insight into dads in dual-income households. We believe that utilizing this kind of context will increase your chances of success.
Approaches for gaining quality insights
The process introduced in the seminar – i.e., conducting desk research (PART 1), then using qualitative research to look at the issues focused on in desk research with greater resolution (PART 2) – is in keeping with the approach described below.
First, as the first step in Part 1, we broaden our perspective to grasp the big picture. Specifically, we conduct desk research to identify the circumstances and themes surrounding dual-income households. We then conduct a web survey to quantitatively capture the current situation with respect to attitudes, behaviors, and themes, and in doing so bring specific issues to light.
Then, in Part 2, we look at the issues in greater resolution. Specifically, we use a tool for understanding consumers called “Consumer Life Panorama (Virtual Home Visit)” to observe their overall lifestyle. Then, through observation-based “sessions”, a wide variety of hypotheses are developed. The final step is to refine the hypothetical insights through in-depth interviews. If this series of steps is appropriately tied to your “business issues”, you will gain quality insights that can be utilized for business purposes.
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