Letizia Mencarini, a professor at the University of Florence, questioned
more than 3, 000 mothers across Italy to find out what would persuade them to
have more children. She found that the more the father was involved in
looking after the child and doing household chores, the more likely his wife was
to want and have a second baby. The survey indicated that Italian men do
little around the house - fewer than 6 % of mothers responded that their
husbands "always" or "often" did household chores such as cooking or
cleaning. As a result many women cannot face the dual burden of going out to
work and looking after an extra child.
- 10 - OMt(622-10) Other solutions to the
problem of an ageing society include raising the
official retirement age from 60 to 65, providing cheaper child care facilities so
both parents can continue to work after having children, and extending paid
maternity and paternity leave for parents after the birth of their children. One
thing is certain for both Italy and Japan: solving the problems of an ageing
society will be neither simple nor cheap and this will be one of the greatest
challenges these countries face in the coming years.
------------------- ----- --
Note
maternity and paternity leave: a period of time after having a baby when
To many consumers, it is hardly a secret that the Asia-Pacific region has
developed into the most dynamic wireless market in the world over the past
decade. In Japan, half a dozen internationally operating companies provide
services and products that are used by over 65 per cent of the population on a
daily basis. Cell-phones are as popular as television and more popular than
personal computers. Market penetration by cell-phones has occurred regardless
(U