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OKAYAMA, Japan, Oct 6, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Japanese mothers are spending more time with their young children as the birth rate declines, a survey conducted by Benesse Corp. shows.
The Okayama-based company conducted a survey last March of 2,980 parents of children between 18 months and 6 years of age.
Eighty-one percent said their children played primarily with their mothers, compared to 69 percent in 2000 and 55 percent in 1995, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Thursday. Even children with brothers or sisters were spending more time with their mothers, the survey showed.
Some 47 percent said their children played with friends and 50 percent cited brothers or sisters, both down 10 percentage points from the 1995 survey.
Prof. Takashi Muto, president of Shiraume Gakuen University and a specialist in developmental psychology, said parents had become more affectionate as well as more protective of their children as they had fewer of them.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2005 by United Press International
