Tuesday, May 5, 2009
College allows you to explore different options in your life. Meeting a variety of people and learning about their lives was as valuable to me as the skills and knowledge I gained. Just talking to people has increased my understanding of the world. Perhaps those I’ve learned from the most are those who balanced marriage and work.
My mother used to tell me that if I wanted to be successful at my career, I’d better put off marriage. In Japan when my mother was younger, once women left their jobs to have children it was difficult to return to their positions or find other jobs. Some employers still hesitate to hire married women, especially if they have children.
According to The CIA World Fact Book, the fertility rate in Japan is 1.21. (The rate in the United States is 2.05.) The fertility rate indicates the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime. The fertility rate in Japan has been decreasing since the 1970s. The decline is often associated with the shortage of good childcare. The availability of childcare service doesn’t meet the recent increase in female employment. As a result, many Japanese women are discouraged from raising children.
In Japanese TV and movies, successful career women are usually portrayed as single. I didn’t have a good role model around me, and I always thought I shouldn’t get married until I established my career. Then, during my four years at the University, I met many married students. Some of them have children. I was often impressed with their flexibility and ambition to achieve their dreams without sacrificing family life.
Last year I attended a lecture by a KU alumna who used to be an embedded journalist for The Kansas City Star. I was surprised to learn that, as well as being a journalist in Iraq and Afghanistan, she was the mother of small children. It was eye-opening and encouraging for me to learn about her career, and how she balanced her job and personal life.
My view of marriage has largely changed since I came to the University. I’m not getting married any time soon, but when I do, I have many role models to follow and will be able to make good decisions about the roles of marriage and work in my life.
While you’re in college, I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and talk to different groups of people, especially those in professions that interest you. It’s important to be exposed to diverse values to learn what your goals are in life, and how you can achieve them. Marriage is just one of many examples of things you can learn about by talking to other people.
— Miyakawa is a Tokyo senior in journalism.
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Miyakawa: College teaches lessons in mixing career and marriage
Good article!
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