The Japanese Welfare State and Children's Life Chances: Evidence from a Family Size Approach
The Japanese Welfare State and Children's Life Chances: Evidence from a Family Size Approach
Monday, 7 July 2025: 09:30
Location: SJES003 (Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences (JES))
Oral Presentation
This paper aims to explore the poverty risk for children in Japan by focusing on family size, maternal employment, and their interaction, with attention to the Japanese welfare state, characterized by family-oriented welfare systems and relatively low public spending on families.
The initial child allowance introduced in Japan in 1972 targeted the third and subsequent children in low-income households. However, as the birth rate has declined (TFR of 1.20 in 2023), family expenditure has shifted its focus towards more universal and comprehensive childcare services, reducing the policy emphasis on poverty risk for multi-child households.
Contrary to this trend, an overlooked fact is that nearly 30% of households with the youngest children aged 8-14 in Japan has three or more children (JGSS 2015-18).
Building on several recent seminal studies including Köppe et al. (2023) that revived the discussion on large families and poverty risk in Europe, this paper examines the link between the number of co-resident children and poverty risk in Japan which has distinct welfare regime from both continental European and Anglo-Saxon countries, using data from the Japanese General Social Surveys（JGSS）.
The analysis focuses not only on family size but also on the impact of maternal employment on poverty risk. According to Esping-Andersen (2008), maternal employment is crucial in shaping equal life chances for children, though it operates differently across welfare regimes: In social democratic regimes, where comprehensive public childcare services are available, maternal employment tends to reduce inequalities in children's educational opportunities. Conversely, in liberal regimes, where female employment is concentrated among the highly educated, maternal employment can exacerbate inequalities in children’s opportunities.
By investigating the intersection of family size and maternal employment, this paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how these factors jointly influence child poverty risks within Japan’s unique welfare framework.
The initial child allowance introduced in Japan in 1972 targeted the third and subsequent children in low-income households. However, as the birth rate has declined (TFR of 1.20 in 2023), family expenditure has shifted its focus towards more universal and comprehensive childcare services, reducing the policy emphasis on poverty risk for multi-child households.
Contrary to this trend, an overlooked fact is that nearly 30% of households with the youngest children aged 8-14 in Japan has three or more children (JGSS 2015-18).
Building on several recent seminal studies including Köppe et al. (2023) that revived the discussion on large families and poverty risk in Europe, this paper examines the link between the number of co-resident children and poverty risk in Japan which has distinct welfare regime from both continental European and Anglo-Saxon countries, using data from the Japanese General Social Surveys（JGSS）.
The analysis focuses not only on family size but also on the impact of maternal employment on poverty risk. According to Esping-Andersen (2008), maternal employment is crucial in shaping equal life chances for children, though it operates differently across welfare regimes: In social democratic regimes, where comprehensive public childcare services are available, maternal employment tends to reduce inequalities in children's educational opportunities. Conversely, in liberal regimes, where female employment is concentrated among the highly educated, maternal employment can exacerbate inequalities in children’s opportunities.
By investigating the intersection of family size and maternal employment, this paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how these factors jointly influence child poverty risks within Japan’s unique welfare framework.