Children in Families Discussing Parents' Jobs and Careers Show Greater Autonomy: More Likely to Form Independent Opinions and Make Proactive Career Choices, Also Affecting Study Habits

Aidem Co., Ltd., a comprehensive human resources information service provider (Headquarters: Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Ryo Kabayama), has conducted a survey targeting 1,200 parents of middle school students and is releasing a partial summary of the results. The purpose of this survey is to clarify how parental involvement affects children's career choices and behavioral tendencies.

Survey Results

[Children's Thinking and Behavioral Tendencies × Family Conversations] (Report p.8, 14, 22) Children in families that discuss parents’ jobs or broader careers tend to exhibit more autonomous thinking and decision-making.

Having their own thoughts or aspirations Parents who discuss their jobs report higher agreement (57.9%) with this statement, 24.0 percentage points higher than those who do not. Parents who discuss various careers report higher agreement (57.5%), 29.4 percentage points higher than those who do not.

Ultimately trying to make decisions independently Parents who discuss their jobs report higher agreement (55.3%), 25.6 percentage points higher than those who do not. Parents who discuss various careers report higher agreement (54.8%), 30.7 percentage points higher than those who do not.

[Approach to Career and Academic Choices × Family Conversations] (Report p.25–26, p.34–35, p.29) The proportion of children who have their own opinions about career paths is approximately 20% higher in families that discuss work compared to those that do not. Additionally, children with their own opinions are more likely to engage not only in subjects they like but also in those they dislike.

[Children's Awareness of Occupations in Society] (Report p.31) In families that discuss work, awareness of various occupations is high—nearly twice as much as in families that do not discuss such topics.

[Ideal vs. Actual Parental Involvement in Children's Future Decisions] (Report p.19)

<Ideal> The most common response was “discussing and thinking together with the child” (33.8%), followed by “offering opinions or advice when needed, but leaving the approach and decisions to the child” (26.3%).

<Reality> The most common response was “discussing and thinking together with the child” (31.6%), followed by “providing advice and support to guide the child toward a desirable career path” (24.8%).

The actual level of parental involvement is higher than the ideal.

※This press release is a partial excerpt. For the full survey report, please visit: https://apj.aidem.co.jp/enquete/

Detailed Survey Results (Partial Excerpt)

[Children's Thinking and Behavioral Tendencies × Family Conversations] (Report p.8, 14, 22)

Children in families discussing parents’ jobs or broader careers tend to exhibit more autonomous thinking and decision-making.

Having their own thoughts or aspirations Parents who discuss their jobs report higher agreement (57.9%) with this statement, 24.0 percentage points higher than those who do not. Parents who discuss various careers report higher agreement (57.5%), 29.4 percentage points higher than those who do not.

Ultimately trying to make decisions independently Parents who discuss their jobs report higher agreement (55.3%), 25.6 percentage points higher than those who do not. Parents who discuss various careers report higher agreement (54.8%), 30.7 percentage points higher than those who do not.

Men and women with children in grades 1–3 of middle school were asked how often they talk to their children about their own jobs (Report p.8).

In descending order of combined “often” and “sometimes” responses: “job responsibilities” (51.1%), “purpose of working” (49.7%), “challenges at work” (44.4%), “workplace failures” (37.6%), and “sense of fulfillment” (37.5%).

Respondents who answered “often” or “sometimes” to any of the 10 items were classified as “discussing their own jobs,” while others were classified as “not discussing their own jobs.” Regardless of specific content, 70.8% of families “discuss their own jobs,” while 29.3% do not.

Parents were also asked whether they discuss broader “occupations and jobs in society” with their children (Report p.14).

In descending order of “have discussed” responses: “there are various occupations in society” (67.5%), “why working is necessary” (62.8%), and “differences in income, holidays, and conditions across occupations” (57.9%).

Respondents who answered “have discussed” to any of the 7 items were classified as “discussing societal jobs,” while others were classified as “not discussing societal jobs.” Regardless of specific content, 77.2% of families “discuss societal jobs,” while 22.8% do not.

Parents were asked about their children’s usual behavior when thinking about or deciding on matters (including career paths) (Report p.22).

Regarding “having their own thoughts or aspirations,” when categorized by whether families discuss jobs (regardless of whether it’s about parents’ jobs or broader careers), the “applies” rate is significantly higher—nearly 60%—in families that discuss work, compared to those that do not.

Similarly, for “ultimately trying to make decisions independently,” families that discuss work show a significantly higher “applies” rate than those that do not.

[Approach to Career and Academic Choices × Family Conversations] (Report p.25–26, p.34–35, p.29)

The proportion of children who have their own opinions about career paths is approximately 20% higher in families that discuss work compared to those that do not. Additionally, children with their own opinions are more likely to engage not only in subjects they like but also in those they dislike.

Parents were asked about their children’s attitudes toward post-middle school educational paths (e.g., high school, university) (Report p.25–26). Results: “making independent decisions, gathering information, and taking action (researching, experiencing, etc.)” (20.5%), “have their own ideas and consider them while referring to others’ opinions (parents, teachers, friends)” (40.2%), “not thinking much independently, heavily influenced by others’ opinions” (15.2%), and “do not appear to be thinking about it currently” (24.2%).

When categorized by whether families discuss work, families that do discuss work show higher proportions of “making independent decisions, gathering information, and taking action” and “have their own ideas and consider them while referring to others’ opinions” compared to those that do not. Discussing work at home may help children develop greater knowledge and interest in career choices.

Regarding “Does your child have a future dream job?” (Report p.32), parents who answered “has a specific job in mind” or “has a vague idea” were asked what actions their child is taking to pursue that career (Report p.34–35).

When categorized by whether families discuss work, families that do discuss work show higher proportions of children “taking initiative independently” compared to those that do not.