As birth rates reach record lows across the Asia-Pacific region, could greater gender equality be key to building more family-friendly societies?

By Professor Lih Rong Wang, National Taiwan University, Department of Social Work, Taiwan and Professor Osamu Ishihara, Clinical Medicine & Director of Nutrition Clinic at Kagawa Nutrition University, Japan

Fertility rates have dramatically declined in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region over the past 60 years. With fewer babies being born and people now living longer, APAC countries are on the cusp of a significant demographic shift.

This is a concern because low birth rates mean countries face less economic productivity due to fewer workers and taxpayers, resulting in falling living standards for all. If this decline continues, it will harm all parts of society, including the economy, healthcare, and countries’ ability to care for their elderly.

As countries continue to report record lows in birth rates across the region, APAC leaders are seeking to understand what is driving this decline and, importantly, what they can do about it. Japan and Taiwan offer some lessons on what may help – and what probably won’t.

Why are people having fewer children?

While factors influencing peoples’ decision to have fewer children over the past few decades are multifaceted, and this is a very personal choice for every individual, research shows a common theme emerging. In Taiwan, when women were asked what may prevent or delay them from starting a family, many cited concerns over how they would balance domestic duties with their careers.

Taiwan has made great strides in achieving greater gender equality over the past few decades, and now ranks first in Asia and sixth in the world for gender equality. This is reflected in public life; Taiwan’s parliament has the highest ratio of female to male lawmakers in East Asia, 60% of new entrants into civil service are women, and female labor force participation has risen by 14% over the last 40 years.

However, little has changed when it comes to achieving greater equality in family life. Despite having more opportunities for education, work, and personal development than ever before, women are still performing the majority of domestic duties in the home. Coupled with rising living costs, the triple burden of balancing housework and childcare with a career can make having children unattainable or less desirable.

A similar situation can be seen in other APAC countries. For example, in Japan a recent survey showed that mothers do 3.6 times more housework than fathers, resulting in many women leaving the workforce after having children. But many couples are not able or willing to rely solely on one income, so family building is put on the back burner. Additionally, very few fathers in Japan take the paternity leave that they are entitled to, likely due to workplace pressure and labor shortages, further solidifying these embedded gender roles.

Can women really have it all?

While broader social change must be part of the solution, governments and workplaces also have a crucial role to play in achieving greater gender equality.

A recent report, the APAC Fertility and Family Scorecard, examined the quality of policies that have been implemented to help encourage family building and raise fertility across the region.

The findings show that formal childcare can help to mitigate the challenges women face when balancing their roles as mothers and workers, highlighting the need for policies that increase affordability and accessibility of childcare. Japan’s government has recognized this need and recently announced a plan to double childcare spending by the early 2030s.

Similarly, policies that promote a better work-life balance by offering parents greater flexibility in when and where they complete their work were found to be key to creating more family-friendly societies. For example, in Taiwan the government has introduced family-friendly policies under the Act of Gender Equality such as allowing pregnant employees to take up to seven days of paid leave for prenatal health checks.

Efforts to tackle declining birth rates differ across the region. Of the countries analyzed, many scored ‘medium’ to ‘high’ across these key policy domains, suggesting that progress is certainly being made. However, the stark contrast between the number of children desired versus the current birth rates across APAC tells us that there is still more to do. For example, women in Taiwan report wanting to have 2.1 children on average, compared with the current birth rate of only 1.1 children per woman.

How can APAC countries turn the tide on falling birth rates?

Striving for greater gender equality must be a key component when looking to identify solutions to address the fertility crisis in APAC.

Some countries have made significant progress in the public sphere; however, traditional gender roles are leading women to be overburdened with domestic duties and limiting their career opportunities.

By introducing family-friendly policy reform, leaders can afford people the choice to have children while protecting women’s career opportunities and, importantly, upholding the progress made in recent decades.