How+governments+are+encouraging+births.

__**Norway and Sweden **__

These governments use policies that help parents balance work and family life to encourage more children.

In Sweden, 18 months of leave are granted to the parents (paid for by the government) and the work schedules are often very flexible. Also in Sweden, the number of women working is high so gender equality has kept women from feeling as though it must be a choice between career and family. Even with all of this, the fertility rate in Sweden is still only 1.75. Even though Sweden has generous family policies, the fertility rate still has not risen drastically. This is possibly because between 1992 and 1997 there was a "slack" in economy and so many people postponed having children. After this the fertility rate dropped and the country hasn't been able to raise it much since.

In Norway there are similar family policies. Mothers get 12 months off of work, and either 80% percent pay for these months or 10 full months pay. This concept was introduced in 1993, and because of it the fertility rate has stayed pretty constant at 1.8 which is higher than most European countries. Fathers can also take this leave off, thus endorsing the idea that not only the mothers should care for the children. Fathers are even required to take four weeks off or both parents lose those four weeks. This is known as the 'daddy quota'. After giving birth, the mother must take six weeks maternity leave, but after that the remaining leave can be divided between the parents as they choose. Also, employers are kept happy because the leaves are paid with taxes. The National Insurance Act in 1956 ensures that there is paid leave for the Norwegians. The healthcare in Norway also helps the fertility rates of women. One hundred percent of births in Norway are attended by skilled personnel and there are very few maternal deaths per 100,000 (16). Though the gender equality will not be perfect until the mother and father must, by law, each have 50 and 50 percent of the parental leave, it has still improved greatly. From 1995-2002 sixty-nine percent of women over 15 were economically active.

Table of Norway's Fertility Rates (prognosis)__ ||= __2015 (prognosis)__ ||= __2050 (prognosis)__ || (Average number of children)__ || __2.60__ || __2.84__ || __2.72__ || __1.81__ || __1.80__ || __1.85__ || __1.80__ || __1.78__ || __1.85__ ||
 * __Year__ ||= __1955__ ||= __1960__ ||= __1970__ ||= __1980__ ||= __1990__ ||= __2000__ ||= __2005
 * __Total fertility rate

To properly observe and note how governments are encouraging and striving for a higher TFR (Total Fertility Rate) domestically, we must look at one of the most prominent nations who are experiences consequences and effects due to lowering TFR: Japan.  With a current TFR of about 1.3, Japan's government has recognized the need to encourage Japanese women to marry and have children to help raise this statistic.
 * __Japan __**
 * [[image:http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/img/fig2_3.gif caption="Population Pyramid Japan"]] ||
 * Population Pyramid Japan ||

http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/img/fig2_3.gif http://www.permanentinnovation.com/blog/uploaded_images/japan_population-720117.jpg
 * Japan's population pyramids show evidence of the declining TFR as the pyramids get "skinnier" or narrower.
 * Japan's decline in population also depicts the declining TFR.

__**Some of the ways the government of Japan is helping raise the TFR:**__  Table 3. Major Japanese government actions aimed at raising fertility environment for bearing and rearing children” || percent of salary to be paid to regular full-time employees during childcare leave || Fertility Society” || * __NA: Not yet available.__ __Source: NIPSSR (2003).
 * ** TFR ** || ** Year ** || ** Action ** ||
 * 2.14 ||  1972  ||  Establishment of child allowances (no pronatalist intent at first)  ||
 * 1.54 ||  1990  ||  Establishment of inter-ministry committee on “Creating a sound
 * 1.53 ||  1991  || Enactment of Childcare Leave Act ||
 * 1.50 ||  1994  || Announcement of Angel Plan for 1995–99 ||
 * 1.42 ||  1995  || Enactment of Childcare and Family Care Leave Act ||
 * 1.34 ||  1999  || Announcement of New Angel Plan for 2000–04 ||
 * 1.33 ||  2001  || Amendment to the Employment Insurance Law, specifying 40
 * 1.32 ||  2002  || Announcement of “plus one” plan ||
 * 1.29 ||  2003  || Enactment of “next generation” law ||
 * 1.29 ||  2003  || Enactment of law on “Basic Measures to Cope with a Declining
 * NA ||  2004  || Announcement of New Angel Plan for 2005–09 ||
 * NA ||  2004  || Revision of Childcare and Family Care Leave Act ||

A common issue found amongst Japanese women that causes many of them to avoid marriage or bearing children is the competitive job environment for women. Once women undergo the most rigorous education programs and find rigorous and demanding jobs, many of them reject the idea of raising and bearing children due to the large amount of work on their shoulders. By enforcing this act, the Japanese government gave only full-time working mothers or fathers the right to go on unpaid leave for up to one year. Firms and organizations with more than 30 employees established the law and integrated the maternal-paternal leave for their employees by April 1, 1992, however excluded smaller firms from including this law and therefore did not apply to small-firm employees. __**1994- Angel Plan for 1994-99**__ More focused on working women, the Angel Plan's core was to establish more child care centers throughout Japan that would help increase fertility among working women. These child/day care centers were funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's annual budget. The Angel Plan also promoted and called for more after school activities and sports, as to help late-working women who returned home at late hours. Regional family support centers were established under the Plan, and child allowences were also allocated for low-income families who went through an application process and would be approved or rejected by the Japanese government. By 1999, the New Angel Plan was established. The new plan, based on the old plan of 1994, encouraged further expansion of child/day- care centers, an increased number and variety of after-school activities, as well as clinics that helped women with infertility issues and also performed artificial insemination on women. The steps taken through the establishment of plans and laws by the Japanese government also included:
 * 1991- Enactment of Childcare Leave Act.**__
 * Decreasing working hours in a week, as well as decreasing the number of work days.
 * Relaxing educational standards in private schools as to avoid stressed times in families during examination periods.
 * Paid maternal/paternal leave, which was raised from 0% of an employee's salary to 40% in __2001.__

__**Sources:** Retherford, Robert D., and Naohiro Ogawa.__ Japan's Baby Bust: Causes, Implications, and Policy Responses. East-West Center Working Papers. __Apr. 2005. United States Congress. 30 Oct. 2008 . Also my class notes on Japan's TFR statistics as well as some other government actions.__