An Analysis of Factors that Influence the Number of Children Young Married Couples Have in Japan

The birth rate has been rapidly declining for decades. In “Population Projection for Japan:2001-2050”, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research recognizes that marital fertility decline is one of the main causes of fertility decline as well as decline in marriage rates. The purpose of this paper is to analyze factors that influence the number of children married couples have. We use the data of “Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities”. We analyze the data of married couples whose wife is between 20 and 40 years old. We find that when couples live with their mothers and the mothers don't work or work in a short time, the number of children increase. We think this is because the mother offers the potential to help them raise their children. This fact shows that if they could get good nursery services, they would have more children.