POINT OF VIEW/ Riho Taguchi: Learn from Germany's child-care measures

Japan is hoping to raise the nation's declining birthrate through a proposed child allowance. While this is good news for parents, it remains to be seen whether that policy alone will prove effective.

In Germany, where I live and work, similar measures are not necessarily producing the expected results. I want to describe my experiences in Germany.

The coalition government of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), formed in October, is proposing to encourage people to have more children.

The child allowance was introduced in Nazi Germany in 1936. It has undergone repeated revisions. Starting in January, regardless of household income, a monthly allowance of 184 euros (about 23,500 yen or $260) is paid for each child until he or she is 18, up from 164 euros.

A parental allowance introduced in 2007 by then Federal Minister for Family Affairs Ursula von der Leyen, pays parents on child-care leave 67 percent of their take-home income for up to 14 months. The government also pays social welfare expenses, such as health insurance premiums, for up to three years.

Apparently as a result of these measures, 685,000 babies were born in 2007, halting the decline in the birthrate for the first time in 10 years. The number of fathers taking child-care leave also increased.

The German fertility rate, or the number of babies born to a woman in her lifetime, had been on a downward trend since peaking at 2.5 in the early 1960s. The rate rose from 1.33 in 2006 to 1.37 in 2007 and 1.38 in 2008. However, the number of births in 2008 dropped to 675,000.

Perhaps affected by the economic crisis, births in the first half of 2009 totaled 312,000, a drop of 6.6 percent from the same period the previous year.

The declining trend prompted the government to raise capacity at day-care centers. Today, day-care centers accept all applications for children 3 years or older.

Starting in 2013, the government plans to ensure there is space at day-care centers for 35 percent of all children under 3 years of age, raising the current capacity.

Furthermore, the government is considering paying 150 euros for each child under 3 who remains at home. Day-care centers would cost parents a maximum of 300 euros per month because the government will cover any shortfall.

The proposed payment for stay-at-home babies is based on an idea of fairness and that society as a whole should bear some responsibility for child care.

I have lived in Hanover, northern Germany, for 13 years, working as a company employee for the past five years. When I gave birth to my son here two years ago, I was not required to pay for medical examinations during my pregnancy nor the cost of delivery. Medical expenses for children up to 18 years old are free. I receive a parental allowance and am saving the monthly child allowance for the future.

I returned to my job this past summer. I had felt secure while away from work because German law guarantees a mother may return to a job of the same pay and other working conditions that she had before taking parental leave.

When there are no openings at day-care centers, parents can look for babysitters accredited by the city. If they are unhappy with the babysitters, they can file a request for improvement with the city government.

Fees are reasonable, as they are based on standards set by the city, and the quality of child care is also assured.

However, even with such generous systems, it is not easy to raise the birthrate immediately. But I expect the comprehensive support to take effect in the long run.

What about Japan? Not only does the country not pay a parental allowance, its gap with Germany is also wide in terms of day-care services and support for dual-income households.

I urge the Japanese government to learn from Germany's experience of trial and error and consider measures that focus on three pillars--direct financial assistance for parents, an improved environment for child-rearing and reduced educational expenses.

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The author, a parent, works for a company in Germany.