Mother's Day on May 10th: A Comparative Survey of "Showa Mothers" and "Reiwa Mothers" - Showa Mothers Prioritize "Handmade" Meals, Reiwa Mothers are "Smart and Time-Saving." Parenting Philosophies are Shared: "Respect Children's Wishes, But Discipline Them Properly."

Marketing support company, one Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director CEO: Yusuke Shimizu) announced today that prior to Mother's Day on May 10th, they conducted a "Comparative Survey of 'Showa Mothers' and 'Reiwa Mothers'" for four days from April 10th (Friday) to April 13th (Monday), 2026. The survey targeted 1,000 women aged 18 and over nationwide, consisting of 500 mothers who raised children during the Showa era (1975-1988) and 500 mothers currently raising children during the Reiwa era (2019-2026). The second Sunday in May is "Mother's Day." With the environment surrounding childcare changing significantly, such as Japan's total fertility rate reaching a new low in Reiwa 6 (2024), this survey comprehensively compared the work styles, parenting policies, and childcare environments of "Showa Mothers" and "Reiwa Mothers." The results revealed that while work styles and eating habits differ greatly between generations, fundamental maternal sentiments such as "respecting children's 'wishes' while also disciplining them properly" and "the joy of seeing children grow" remain unchanged across all eras. Topics from the "Comparative Survey of 'Showa Mothers' and 'Reiwa Mothers'": * "Okaasan" (Mom) is dominant for Showa (60.0%), "Mama" is dominant for Reiwa (60.4%). According to Showa mothers, the use of "Mama" decreases as children grow older? * The ideal is "2 children" for both Showa and Reiwa (58.4% for both)! Factors determining the number of children: "No particular reason" was most common for Showa (33.8%), while "economic situation" was cited by 61.0% of Reiwa mothers. * Ratio of working mothers to full-time housewives: Showa is "50% working mothers, 40% full-time housewives" - Reiwa is "60% working mothers, 30% full-time housewives." Ideal work styles show clear differences in values. Showa desired "protecting the home (full-time housewife)," Reiwa desired "self-realization in society (full-time employment)"? * "Nutritional balance" is a shared priority. Showa mothers insisted on "handmade" meals, while for Reiwa mothers, "time-saving cooking" using prepared ingredients and kits is also important. Differences also include Showa mothers emphasizing "no picky eating," while Reiwa mothers prioritize "feeding children their favorite dishes." * Both Showa and Reiwa mothers largely "want to respect children's 'wishes'." Still, "disciplining them properly" for their child's sake is a mother's love? * Was "isolated parenting" more common for Showa mothers? Reiwa mothers involve "their own parents," but it also became clear that over half still feel lonely in childcare. * "The joy of seeing children grow" brings fulfillment! * "Showa Mother" No. 1: Hisano Yamaoka (209 votes), "Reiwa Mother" No. 1: Nozomi Tsuji (196 votes). Survey Results "Okaasan" is dominant for Showa, "Mama" is dominant for Reiwa. According to Showa mothers, the use of "Mama" decreases as children grow older? Q1. How do your children call you? (Single answer/n=1,000) *If you have multiple children and they call you differently, please answer for the youngest child. When "Showa Mothers" (those who raised children between 1975-1988) and "Reiwa Mothers" (those currently raising children between 2019-2026) were asked how their children call them, "Okaasan" was most common for Showa mothers at 60.0%, and "Mama" was most common for Reiwa mothers at 60.4%. This indicates that "Okaasan" is more prevalent in Showa, and "Mama" in Reiwa. However, since children of Showa mothers are now adults aged 30-50, and children of Reiwa mothers are minors, the difference might be due to children's growth stages. Therefore, Showa mothers were asked to recall how their children called them at different stages of growth. Q2. [Showa Mothers] How did your children call you? Please answer for each stage of your children's growth. (Single answer/n=500) *If you have multiple children and they call you differently, please answer for the youngest child. When Showa mothers were asked how their children called them at different growth stages, it was found that "Okaasan" was more common from the pre-school period in the Showa era, with "Okaasan" at 56.6% and "Mama" at 30.0%. This confirms that "Okaasan" was dominant in Showa, and "Mama" became dominant in Reiwa as times changed. Furthermore, "Okaasan" increased to 66.4% for elementary school children and 68.4% for junior and senior high school students, while the percentage of "Mama" decreased to 18.8% for elementary school children and 9.2% for junior and senior high school students. This shows that even if children called their mothers "Mama" when they were young, they transitioned to "Okaasan" or other terms as they grew older. The ideal is "2 children" for both Showa and Reiwa! Factors determining the number of children: "No particular reason" was most common for Showa (33.8%), while "economic situation" was cited by 61.0% of Reiwa mothers. Q3. What is (or was) your ideal number of children? (Single answer/n=1,000) When asked about the ideal number of children, Showa...