Cybozu survey: Low awareness of caregiver leave for school refusal

A survey by Cybozu Social Design Lab reveals a significant lack of awareness regarding the use of caregiver leave to support children experiencing school refusal or refusal to attend school. While Japanese government agencies, including the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, have indicated that such leave may be applicable if the child meets specific criteria for requiring constant care, the survey shows that 80.3% of working parents were unaware that this option could be used for this purpose.

The study, which surveyed 1,000 working parents and 500 HR professionals, found that only 3.0% of parents experiencing school refusal actually utilized caregiver leave, with most relying on annual paid leave instead. Awareness of caregiver leave (34.5%) remains significantly lower than other work arrangements like teleworking (54.1%) or flextime (50.8%).

On the corporate side, 34.2% of HR professionals reported being unaware of the policy's applicability to school refusal. Furthermore, 58.6% of HR staff noted an atmosphere that makes using such leave difficult, and only 19.4% of companies actively promote the system. Approximately 71.6% of parents stated they would utilize the leave if provided with proper guidance.