Working from home and fertility intentions

A cross-sectional study using a nationwide internet survey

Abstract

Objectives: Declining birth rates are the growing social concern globally, including in Japan. Working from home is expected to promote flexible work styles that support a better balance between work and childcare. However, evidence on the association between working from home and fertility intentions remains limited and inconsistent. Additionally, although the influence of working from home may differ by marital status, none investigated this issue. The present study examined the cross-sectional association between working from home and fertility intentions among married and unmarried individuals. Methods: We analyzed the data from 7,998 married or unmarried individuals aged 20-45 years from the 2022 Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS). Participants self-reported their frequency of working from home and fertility intentions. We used modified Poisson regression to estimate multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratios of feritlity intentions. Results Of 4,587 married participants, 1,385 (30.2%) worked from home and 2,521 (55.0%) had fertility intentions. Of 3,411 unmarried participants, 923 (27.1%) worked from home and 2,769 (81.2%) had fertility intentions. The relationship between working from home and fertility intentions tended to differ by marital status (P for additive interaction = 0.1). In married participants, as compared with those who did not work from home, although working from home two to three days a week was significantly associated with decreased prevalence of fertility intentions, working from home two to three days a month and six to seven days a week were associated with increased prevalence of fertility intentions. In contrast, working from home was significantly and linearly associated with decreased prevalence of fertility intentions in unmarried workers (P for trend = 0.01). Conclusion: The present data suggest that working from home may promote fertility intentions in married workers, but may suppress fertility intentions in unmarried workers. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the causal relationship between working from home and fertility intentions and actual childbearing behavior.