With household composition diversifying around the world, diversity considerations are essential in mum-focused marketing. As is the case in other markets, Japan too is seeing a rise in dual-income households; as Japan goes through economic and social change, mums’ living situations are improving, albeit at a gradual pace.
Little by little, the value system that equates love with effort is also changing; there’s a global focus on me time, and Reiwa-era* mums are prioritising self-care and mental and physical health. Nevertheless, mums still tend to feel obligated to lead household and childcare responsibilities, as well as guilt over not doing enough. As such, expectations are rising for convenient services and home appliances, as well as for being able to share some responsibilities with partners and children.
Against this backdrop, this Report examines business opportunities that may open up in the future, based on mothers’ self-improvement goals and the reasons behind these goals; Reiwa-era parenting styles born from a culture that values time efficiency; and consumer needs around nurturing children’s ability to make their own choices.
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Executive summary
- Overview
- Scope of this Report
- Global market overview
- Mums in a global context
- Global trends in mum-focused marketing
- Overview of the Japanese market and consumers
- The changing times and more dual earning means things are looking up for mums
- Consumer insights
- Opportunities in the Japanese market
- 1. Show commitment to helping mums rest and stay healthy
- 2. Encourage mums to share household responsibilities with dads and kids
- 3. Offer kids opportunities and options
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Global market overview
- Mums in a global context
- 1. Declining fertility rates and having children later
- Lower fertility rates, older age at childbirth
- Graph 1: total fertility rate per woman, 1992-2022
- Graph 2: average age of mothers at childbirth, 1992-2022
- TFR keeps dropping; interest in having a second child stays level
- Graph 3: total fertility rate, 2014-23
- Graph 4: interest in having a second child, 2019-2024
- The age of parents at childbirth is reaching a record high every year
- Graph 5: standardised mean age of mothers and fathers at childbirth, 1982-2022
- Some couples are hesitating to have children
- Graph 6: Total Fertility Rate (TFR), 1982-2022
- 2. Workforce participation and housework
- Mothers’ workforce participation rates now higher than pre-COVID
- Graph 7: labor force participation rate of mothers, by marital status and age of children, 2019-23
- Mums spend far more time on housework-related tasks
- Graph 8: weekly average time spent on housework-related tasks* by husbands and wives with children aged 0-6, 2016, 2021
- Imbalance in housework also exists in China, but it’s improving
- Graph 9: share of household chores, 2024
- Division of housework another cause of stress
- 3. Increasingly diverse family composition and parenting styles
- Family units are becoming increasingly diverse
- Graph 10: distribution of families by type of family, 2021
- Growing interest in non-monogamy
- Increasingly diverse experiences of motherhood and parenting styles
- 4. Parents are ‘parenting’ for longer as kids stay living at home
- One in three young adult men live with their parents
- Graph 11: proportion of young adults aged 15-34 living with their parents, by age and gender, 2023
- Parental responsibility protracted as adult children stay living at home
- Graph 12: proportion of census families with at least one child aged 18 or older, 2002-2021
- Living with parents at age 25-34: the kangaroo generation
- Rapid increase in adults returning to the family home
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Global trends
- Global trends in mum-focused marketing
- 1. More than a mum
- Mums who don’t want to be defined by motherhood
- Mum’s who aren’t just mums
- The concept behind reverse parenting
- Graph 13: attractive branding messages, by female generation, 2022
- Motherhood as beautiful chaos
- Supporting mums by promoting inclusion
- 2. Children’s influence
- Children hold indirect purchasing power
- Children have a significant influence on family decisions
- Graph 14: decision-makers in the family – ‘child(ren)’ or ‘both child(ren) and parents’, % agree, 2024
- High-income groups let their children make choices
- 88% of parents want to empower their children to develop their own preferences and tastes
- Social media campaign: Welcome to the Plant Age
- Engaging campaign teaches kids about social responsibility and traditional culture
- 3. The importance of self-care
- In many cases, mums struggle with mental health more than dads
- Depicting a mother’s struggles and a child’s respect
- Gen Z and mums-to-be value ‘me time’
- Graph 15: activities that would most help reduce moms’ stress (select up to 5), by select demographics, 2024
- Mums are much less likely to get ‘me time’
- Products for making the most of ‘me time’
- 4. Social connections
- Interpersonal relationships are growing more tenuous
- Socialising is the best way to de-stress
- Graph 16: select ways to reduce stress (select up to 5), 2024
- Promoting community self-care
- Mother’s Day campaign from Hering focuses on mum friendships
- Marias Gamesa supports mothers and community building
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JAPANESE MARKET OVERVIEW
- The changing times and more dual earning means things are looking up for mums
- Number of births and total fertility rate continue to drop
- Graph 17: trends in the number of births and total fertility rate, 1950-2023
- Number of births and total fertility rate continue to drop
- Graph 18: trends in the number of births and total fertility rate, 1950-2023
- Women are increasingly likely to continue working after becoming mums
- Graph 19: employment history of wives before and after having their first child, by birth year of children, 1995-2019
- As a result, dual-income household numbers continue to rise
- Graph 20: changes in the number of single-income and dual-income households, 1980-2024
- Division of housework in Japan places a much heavier burden on wives
- Graph 21: share of housework, by gender, 2023
- Mums’ top chores to delegate: cleaning and childcare/nursing care
- Graph 22: household chores that married consumers want their partners to handle, by gender
- 1. Letting go of the ‘ideal parent’ goal
- The changing times and more dual earning is driving a shift towards practical products and services
- Letting go of mealtime expectations lets mums prioritise family time
- Graph 23: changes in mothers’ attitudes to meals, 2014 vs 2022
- Seek practicality without being bound by old values
- Working spaces with on-site childcare services
- 100% hands-free drop-off and pick-up at schools
- 2. Focus on time-saving and convenience
- Dual-income households rely on home appliance tech
- Focus on dual-income households for an opportunity to enter the expanding smart home market
- Selling smart home-equipped properties as built-for-sale houses
- Save time and increase convenience by eliminating the tedious sieving process
- 3. Self-care awareness
- About 80% of mothers feel down after childbirth
- Graph 24: mental state postpartum, 2025
- Postpartum care and the widespread use of care hotels
- Self-care and health-related awareness have increased over eight years
- Graph 25: changes in mothers’ health awareness, 2014 vs 2022
- Lifestyle support that values mums and families
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Japanese consumer insights
- Three approaches: generation, children’s influence, household income
- 1. Generational characteristics: Mums in their 30s
- Mums now getting less sleep than in 2022
- Graph 26: select areas to improve compared to before having children, 2025
- Graph 27: comparison in select areas before and after the birth of the youngest child, 2022
- Mums in their 30s seek improvements in many areas
- Graph 28: areas to improve, by age group, 2025
- Health management/disease prevention is top motivator for mums
- Graph 29: reasons for self-improvement, 2025
- Age group-specific priorities inform self-improvement motivations
- Graph 30: reason for self-improvement – maintaining appearance, % agree, 2025
- Graph 31: reason for self-improvement – for health management, % agree, 2025
- Mums in their 30s have a strong interest in tech to help with housework/child-rearing
- Graph 32: intention to use smart childcare devices, by age group*, 2025
- Graph 33: intention to use smart home appliances, by age group*, 2025
- Ad/commercial preferences also vary by age group
- Graph 34: interesting advertisements, by age group, 2025
- 2. By category: Children’s influence
- Ad attributes that capture mums’ interest
- After stores, children are top deciding factor for new purchases
- Graph 35: purchase factors for new products/brands, 2025
- As children grow, so does their influence
- Graph 36: influence of children, by age of the youngest child at the time of purchase, 2025
- Purchase factors when buying products for children
- Graph 37: key points for consideration when purchasing products, 2025
- Full-time housewives place more emphasis on children’s preferences for food and fashion purchases
- Graph 38: priorities when making purchases – children’s preferences, % agree, by employment status, 2025
- 3. By household income: High-income mums
- Mothers from high-income households likely to use housework and childcare products and services
- Graph 39: experience of using products and services, by household income, 2025
- Financially secure mums are drawn in by ads that sell efficiency
- Graph 40: interesting advertisements – time-saving product, % agree, by household income, 2025
- Graph 41: interesting advertisements – time-saving product, % agree, by financial situation, 2025
- Majority of high-income mothers are keen to use smart home appliances and online supermarkets to save time
- Graph 42: experience and intention to use products and services – interested in using*, % agree, by household income, 2025
- Time-saving skincare interests mums in each age group regardless of employment status
- Graph 43: interest in time-effective skincare/haircare products, by age group, 2025
- Graph 44: interest in time-effective skincare/haircare products, by employment status, 2025
- More areas for improvement noted by mums with higher household income; skincare is high-ranking focus area
- Graph 45: change of behaviour after having children (areas for improvement), by household income, 2025
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Opportunities in the Japanese market
- Three directions for the mum-focused market
- 1. Show commitment to helping mums rest and stay healthy
- Really support mums in getting more rest and improving health
- Offer perspectives to reassure younger mums
- Graph 46: attitudes towards parenting, % agree, 2023
- Taking a break without kids at hot spring inns
- Coordinating outfits with kids
- Realistic campaign encourages mums to explore their interests
- 2. Encourage mums to share household responsibilities with dads and kids
- Mums are glad when dads and kids take the initiative with housework
- Getting kids involved with housework
- Chore tracker app quantifies housework participation and allocates hourly wages
- Leverage dads’ interest in the latest tech to reduce mums’ guilt
- Graph 47: select reasons to purchase smart home devices, by gender, 2023
- Gamify children’s habits and reduce the guilt of discipline
- Diverse parenting offers new approaches to dividing housework
- 3. Offer kids opportunities and options
- Offer kids opportunities and options
- Genderless play environments
- Using characters and games to promote social learning and eliminate picky eating
- Build kids’ confidence by giving them opportunities to contribute to tackling societal challenges
- Make up for the disparity in kids’ experiences with respite care for single parents
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APPENDIX
- Consumer survey methodology
- TURF analysis
- Repertoire analysis
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