Public disdain against "their lordships with children"

I had my first child when I was 30, and it's safe to say that my life changed pretty rapidly the minute I knew I was pregnant. Having kids means you have to juggle a lot of things to try and fit in with your new life, whether it's appointments (for yourself or for your little ones), household management, childcare, or careers of yourself and your spouse, to name just a few categories. Obviously, that can present some challenges – for instance, if you're scheduled to work and your child is sick, you often end up having to take a day off to care for them if you don't have a support network to call on.  

I was saddened, then, to see a recent news article online that said there is a growing number of derogatory social media attacks online from people in Japan, referring to parents as "their lordships with kids" when they may have to leave work early or take a day off to care for ill children.

"Their lordships with children" aren't looked upon very favorably by segments of society in Japan. Pic Credit: NsMn/CC By 3.0

The article noted this even extended to people saying they'd boycott companies with family-friendly practices. For instance, the Soup Stock chain said they'd be stocking complimentary baby food at their stores in 2023, and people were saying online that this was enough for them to stop visiting. 

Now look, I get it. I was an employee without kids for over a decade, and yes – it can definitely be frustrating if you're on tight deadlines or already overworked and then someone calls in sick (for whatever reason) or needs to take time off to care for little ones. I'm not downplaying or disputing that frustration at all. What I am disputing is who that frustration needs to be directed towards. If your company is so bare-bones that it can't function effectively when someone needs a day off, that's a management problem, not a parents with children problem.

It really doesn't surprise me that people here aren't having kids. The government wants more people to have kids, but they don't do anything to change the societal structures and mindsets around making that easier for people. If I didn't have a flexible working arrangement, I would be in the same boat, probably being referred to as a lordship (well, lady, in this case) with kids.