Japanese childcare worker told by boss it was not ‘her turn’ to have a baby

A JAPANESE childcare worker has been reprimanded by her boss for “selfishly breaking the rules” after she became pregnant before it was her “turn”, according to media reports.

The woman was working at a private childcare centre in Aichi prefecture, north Japan, when she found out she was pregnant. However, the timing reportedly clashed with “shifts” drawn up by the centre director, which listed when female staff were allowed to marry and have children.

The case of the woman, who has not been identified, highlights the unsettling practice of some Japanese companies of dictating when female staff are allowed to marry and have children, depending on their level of seniority. Her experiences came to light after her husband, aged 28, wrote a letter outlining the couple’s plight to the Mainichi Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading newspapers.

Describing how his wife felt “glum and anxious” after finding out she was pregnant, the husband wrote: “The director at the childcare centre where she works had determined the order in which workers could get married or pregnant, and apparently there was an unspoken rule that one must not take their “turn” before a senior staff member.”

The couple formally met with the director to apologise about the pregnancy, but the wife has since been “chided” for “selfishly” breaking the rules of the centre, the husband said.

He added: “Childcare providers sacrifice their own children to care for the children of others. It is a noble profession that nurtures children who will forge the future of this country.

“I respect my wife for her commitment to her profession, and continue to encourage her. The conditions of those working to nurture and care for children are evidence of a backward country.”

The couple’s case has gained support in Japan, a nation known for both its shrinking birth rate and a chronic shortage of public childcare establishments.