Childcare Availability and the Choice of Childbirth Months in Japan

Abstract

This paper empirically explores Japanese child-bearing households’ choices of childbirth months and the problem of children waiting for available childcare services, which can hinder the continued employment of women. We estimate the effect of the ratio of children waiting for childcare services on the bias in the childbirth months. The empirical results show that, when the waiting-list for childcare service is longer, the child-bearing households select the childbirth month carefully considering the application to authorized childcare facilities. In areas with a large number of children on standby, childbirths tend to be selected more in spring/summer (April to September) and avoided during winter (January to March). Moreover, such tendencies are observed clearer among mothers in their 30s whose employment rate and childbirth rate are both rising. This suggests that expansion of childcare services is an urgent task in managing more women’s social participation and childbirth promotion.