Some people say, “Parenting is hard today because people indulge in luxuries — like giving kids smartphones, sending them to cram schools, or aiming for college education.” But this is a major misunderstanding.
It is true that the environment surrounding child-rearing has changed drastically compared to the past. Smartphones, cram schools, and university education may once have been considered luxuries. However, in today’s world, these things are no longer mere extravagances — they are tools and pathways necessary to adapt to modern society.
When new inventions and infrastructure spread, the way we live evolves along with them.
For example, in the past, not having a telephone at home could prevent families from receiving calls from schools or workplaces — making daily life difficult. Even if someone said, “Telephones are a luxury,” society moved forward assuming people had them. Those without phones were simply left behind.
The same applies today: children using smartphones or attending cram schools is no longer optional for many families. In the information age, a lack of basic academic ability or digital literacy can significantly limit a child’s future opportunities. For some households, cram schools have become more than just a supplement to learning — they are essential lifelines in the fight against educational inequality.
Likewise, going to university is no longer a privilege reserved only for the exceptionally gifted. In today’s job market, a university degree is a basic requirement for many professions. Higher education has become one of the foundations needed to secure a stable future.
Ignoring these social changes and claiming that “people raised children without such things in the past” is no longer valid. Today, even dual-income families with a combined income of 9 million yen struggle to afford cram schools, smartphones, and college tuition. We no longer live in a time when a single-income household with a stay-at-home mother was the norm — the structure of society itself has changed.
In other words, the hardships of modern parenting are not caused by luxury. They are the result of inevitable adaptation to a rapidly evolving society.
That is why the solution is not to “give up luxuries,” but to provide proper support and systems that match the realities of our time. Public support for childcare and education, flexible work styles, and community-based parenting assistance are becoming increasingly important.
What we must ask is not whether these things are luxurious, but what children truly need to survive and thrive in today’s society. We need to face that question seriously — and work together to build a society that supports those needs.
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#parenting #socialchange #education #inequality #publicsupport #workingparents #digitalliteracy #modernlife
【Column】Is the burden of parenting caused by “luxury”? No. It is a necessary adaptation to social change.
（日本語版）【コラム】子育ての苦しさは“贅沢”が原因？ それは違う。社会の変化に合わせた「必然の適応」だ。
Raising Children in Japan