Proportion of working moms tops 75%

e proportion of working mothers in child-rearing households exceeded 75% for the

rst time in 2021, according to a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey.

According to the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions, the proportion of mothers with children younger than 18 who said they were employed stood at a record high of 75.9%, up 3.5 percentage points from 2019. e proportion was the highest since 2004, when the current calculation methods started.

e percentage of mothers in child-rearing households working full-time increased 3.4 percentage points from the previous survey to 29.6%, probably due to measures to support employment, such as the expansion of childcare services, which have made it easier to work full-time. e percentage of mothers in non-regular employment decreased 0.5 percentage points to 37.3%.

Meanwhile, 24.1% of mothers did not work outside of the home. e survey found 39.8% of mothers in households with babies under 12 months of age, 35.1% of mothers in households with 1-year-olds and 35.6% of mothers in households with 2-year-olds were not employed.

e survey results show that the younger the children, the more likely their mothers were not working.

e survey was conducted in June 2021, covering about 63,000 households nationwide. Sixty-eight percent of them, or about 43,000 households, responded.

e survey was conducted for the rst time in two years. e survey in 2020 was canceled due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Sept. 14)