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Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

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Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#241

Post by theshackleford »

RiverCrochet wrote: post #75
reverendsteveii wrote: post #29

I feel like it's been a long time fretting over falling birth rates and this is the first time I've seen anyone float the idea that making life better for people might make them a bit more inclined to make more people.

I had an interesting discussion with my nephew about this post. He angers me with the way he talks about stuff, but I consider it an exercise in mental fortitude. Allow me to share his absolutely crazy and unreasonable thoughts on this: "Nobody really wants more people except certain religious sects, and that is only because it allows them to use sexuality to control people. Most modern capitalists would favor automa…

> I'm considering having him committed because he acts very strange.

By your own suggestion, I think they should start with you.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#242

Post by djtango »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #203
jefbyokyie wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but it matters how much it intrudes on your personal life. Paying social security (and saving for retirement) when you are young, and getting (some) coverage when you are old, is one thing. It's "only" money. Having your time, availability, emotional capacity, mental health sucked dry by the elderly in your own family is an entirely different thing. Raising small children is an extreme challenge that requires al…

> Raising small children is an extreme challenge that requires all your resources Indeed, and in the past, this would've been offset by everyone around the parents - the old, the young, the other families and the childless aunts and uncles - all chiming in to share the burden. Social security & retiremenet is basically an attempt to give a substitute for that, for the village , but things are getting more and more pa…

Someone close to me told me they chose to have two kids because they didn't want the burden and responsibility of caring for their parents to fall solely onto one child.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#243

Post by insane_dreamer »

MBCook wrote: post #3

I wish these stories would say if the hours are changing or not. 32 hours, 4 days a week seems better to me. But if all you do is take 40 hours and make it 10 hour days I’m not that much happier.

> make it 10 hour days I’m not that much happier

I'd much much rather work 4 x 10 than 5 x 8. Having a whole day without work makes a huge difference. Also, I find myself working 10 hrs a day anyway, so 5 x 10 (or more like 5 x 12).

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#244

Post by closeparen »

Vegenoid wrote: post #198
a1exyz wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree and think that this is a huge growing cultural expectation - "you have to live for your children". I don't think it used to be the case. Well OK sure I get that that would be good for kids but you're also gonna limit the number of parents if that's the new normal.

I actually think it is good for kids to have exposure to: - entertaining themselves - working/providing for themselves - having to do things that they don’t want to do - being told no, and dealing with unfulfilled desire All with balance, I am not proposing that kids are just left to fend for themselves. Caring for your kids materially and emotionally is important, but so is living your own life and making them live…

The high-effort parents I know aren't overly concerned with that their kids want, but they constantly sacrifice their own time and sanity for what they deem to be in the child's best interests.

Kids love screens, parents love getting to do their own thing while the child is quietly occupied, but a certain type of parent feels the need to go to war over the screen time limit rather than enjoy their dinner. Neither father nor son is having a good time at soccer practice, but a kid's got to have a sport. And so on.

We're calling for something bolder here than merely the will to override a child's wishes. Parents need a permission structure to prioritize their own desires, not just the ones they have on behalf of the children.

There was a good Ezra Klein episode about this [0].

[0] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/opinion/ezra-klein-podcas...

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#245

Post by insane_dreamer »

MBCook wrote: post #143
WillyWonkaJr wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100% -- We've been promised more free time due to AI. Probably better to cash in now before this promise is rescinded.

We were with mechanical automation too. And computers. And every other advance. Things improve, jobs take less time to do, so they give us more. But it’s the same number of hours so pay doesn’t go up. We all get screwed.

But you and your company are now "family", so you can bask in the glow of generating more shareholder value "together"! Hurrah.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#247

Post by viraptor »

7thaccount wrote: post #2

That sounds....huge. I know many working couples where one would probably take that in a heartbeat. You lose some money, but gain more family time and sanity. Having Friday to finish chores and being able to enjoy the weekend unstressed is huge, not to mention clocking out early each day to be able to pick up your kid and not have to get back to work or whatever.

I took that option 4 years ago and wouldn't go back now. It's not worth the increase in money vs the life improvement.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#248

Post by missedthecue »

talldayo wrote: post #235
imetatroll wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I entirely agree. And when you lather on the tidal wave of endless "entertainment" and options available to most people they end up framing everything in their minds as "having fun" vs "having kids". I also know many women who say they don't want to "do that to their bodies" so ... where is this all going. And honestly I agree with the "if you are single you should pay more taxes" as a motivator to either get you to…

There are already taxes subsidies for couples and children - that's plenty enough incentive for wealthy families that can support kids. Families that cannot afford to feed or house children should in no way be penalized for refusing to start a family in their present situation.

The reality is the public pensions and healthcare implode without much higher taxes or much higher birth rates. Like the Italian president told his people a few years, if we want things to stay the same, things are going to have to change.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#249

Post by bearincar »

wkat4242 wrote: post #158
l33tbro wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not saying you are wrong here, but I think it is important to ground all of these old:young dynamics in culture. 'Subordinate', to me, is a very western lens and looks past the crucial point that the Japanese view power structures with far more optimism than we do. Japan clearly has its own problems, but honour and duty play a significant part in their culture and, admirably, contributes to the creation of a high…

Hmm I'm sure I would view that kind of social pressure as a straightjacket and I would have a very fringey and mediocre life in such a society. I'm just someone who is different and western civilization applauds individualism to some extent (except highly religious communities, army, etc). For people like me such societies are pretty cruel.

[dead]

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#250

Post by nimish »

kortilla wrote: post #116
encoderer wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fascinating. Is the loyalty reciprocated?

It’s basically the same model as social security is supposed to be. It’s reciprocated societally by you putting in lots when you’re young and then you get the benefits when you’re old.

“A society grows great when the old plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit”
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