【Mother's Day Survey】97.9% Respond 'The Role of Mothers is Heavy'. While 80% Express Gratitude on Mother's Day, 60% 'Do Not Want' to Work Like Their Own Mothers / 'Woman's転職type' Conducts Survey of Working Women【Vol. 128】
A survey by 'Woman's転職type' targeting 284 working women revealed that 97.9% feel the role of mothers in Japan is 'heavy'. While about 80% express gratitude on Mother's Day, approximately 60% do not wish to work in the same way as their own mothers.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 9, 2026 at 03:38 (17h 6m after Collected)
Career Design Center Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and Chairman: Hiromi Tada), which operates 'Woman's転職type', a job change website specializing in women's job changes, conducted a survey on 'Mother's Day' targeting 284 working women.
'Woman's転職type', a job change website for women who want to work long-term as full-time employees, regularly conducts 'Data on "Women and Work"' to investigate women's real perspectives on work and publicly shares the actual situation of women's working environments.
▼Click here for details:
https://woman-type.jp/academia/discover-career/data/vol-128/
■Survey Results Excerpt
★No. 1 thing to do on Mother's Day is 'Give a present'
★Approximately 90% believe 'My own mother had it tough'
★97.9% believe the role imposed on Japanese mothers is 'heavy'
★Approximately 60% 'do not want' to work in the same way as their own mothers
★If I were a mother, I would want 'dining out or going out with family'
【Q.1 Are you doing anything for your mother this Mother's Day?】
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked if they would do anything for their mother this Mother's Day, the top response was 'Give a present' at 57.4%, followed by 'Express words of gratitude' at 27.5%, and 'Go out for a meal' at 20.8%.
'Do nothing in particular' was 20.1%, indicating that 79.9% are trying to express gratitude in some form.
Other comments included 'Go home to visit' and 'Cook a feast'.
【Q.2 What are your reasons for doing something on Mother's Day?】
*Excluding those who answered 'Do nothing in particular' in Q1
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked for their reasons for doing something on Mother's Day, 'Want to express gratitude' was the most common at 70.5%, followed by 'Want to show filial piety' at 46.3%, and 'Because it's an annual custom' at 31.7%.
【Q.3 Do you think your own mother had it 'tough'?】
When asked if they thought their own mother had it tough, 'I think it was very tough' accounted for 61.6%, more than half, and combined with 'I think it was somewhat tough' at 25.7%, a total of 87.3% responded 'I think it was tough'.
'I don't think it was very tough' was 4.2%, and 'I don't think it was tough' was 2.1%, totaling 6.3%, indicating that those who 'don't think it was tough' were a very small minority.
【Q.4 What are your reasons for thinking your mother had it tough?】
*Only those who answered 'I think it was very tough' or 'I think it was somewhat tough' in Q3
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked for their reasons for thinking their mother had it tough, 'Heavy burden of housework' was the most common at 70.6%, followed by 'Little personal time' at 51.6%.
Other comments included 'Because she always put herself second', 'Because she looked after her grandchildren after work', and 'Her mother-in-law and family relationships seemed difficult'.
【Q.5 What kind of work style did your mother have when you were a child?】
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked about their mother's work style when they were children (minors), 'Housewife in early childhood, then part-time or temporary work' was the most common at 29.2%, followed by 'Always a housewife' at 20.8%. On the other hand, only 18.3% responded 'Always a full-time employee', indicating that those who continued as full-time employees while raising children were a minority.
【Q.6 Do you want to work in the same way as your mother?】
When asked if they wanted to work in the same way as their mother, 'Not really' at 37.7% and 'Not at all' at 22.2% combined to 59.9% who responded 'No'.
Conversely, 'Very much so' at 9.5% and 'Somewhat' at 18.7% combined to 28.2% who responded 'Yes'.
【Q.7 Do you think the role of mothers in Japan is heavy?】
When asked if they thought the role of mothers in Japan was heavy, 'I think it's very heavy' was 75.4% and 'I think it's somewhat heavy' was 22.5%, totaling 97.9% who responded 'I think it's heavy'.
On the other hand, 'I don't think it's very heavy' was 1.4% and 'I don't think it's heavy at all' was 0.7%, totaling 2.1% who 'don't think it's heavy', a very small minority.
【Q.8 If you were a mother, what would you want for Mother's Day?】
*Multiple answers allowed
'Dining out/going out' was the most common at 41.2%, followed by 'Words of gratitude' at 36.6% and 'Free time alone' at 36.3%, which were almost tied. It was found that more people desire 'experiences' such as going out or words of gratitude, rather than 'material things' like gifts or sweets.
【Q.9 Are you doing anything for your father this Father's Day?】
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked if they would do anything for their father this Father's Day, 'Give a present' was the most common at 40.1%, but many also responded 'Do nothing in particular' (38.7%), which was about twice the number of people who responded 'Do nothing' for Mother's Day (20.1%). Father's Day is Mother's Day.
'Woman's転職type', a job change website for women who want to work long-term as full-time employees, regularly conducts 'Data on "Women and Work"' to investigate women's real perspectives on work and publicly shares the actual situation of women's working environments.
▼Click here for details:
https://woman-type.jp/academia/discover-career/data/vol-128/
■Survey Results Excerpt
★No. 1 thing to do on Mother's Day is 'Give a present'
★Approximately 90% believe 'My own mother had it tough'
★97.9% believe the role imposed on Japanese mothers is 'heavy'
★Approximately 60% 'do not want' to work in the same way as their own mothers
★If I were a mother, I would want 'dining out or going out with family'
【Q.1 Are you doing anything for your mother this Mother's Day?】
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked if they would do anything for their mother this Mother's Day, the top response was 'Give a present' at 57.4%, followed by 'Express words of gratitude' at 27.5%, and 'Go out for a meal' at 20.8%.
'Do nothing in particular' was 20.1%, indicating that 79.9% are trying to express gratitude in some form.
Other comments included 'Go home to visit' and 'Cook a feast'.
【Q.2 What are your reasons for doing something on Mother's Day?】
*Excluding those who answered 'Do nothing in particular' in Q1
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked for their reasons for doing something on Mother's Day, 'Want to express gratitude' was the most common at 70.5%, followed by 'Want to show filial piety' at 46.3%, and 'Because it's an annual custom' at 31.7%.
【Q.3 Do you think your own mother had it 'tough'?】
When asked if they thought their own mother had it tough, 'I think it was very tough' accounted for 61.6%, more than half, and combined with 'I think it was somewhat tough' at 25.7%, a total of 87.3% responded 'I think it was tough'.
'I don't think it was very tough' was 4.2%, and 'I don't think it was tough' was 2.1%, totaling 6.3%, indicating that those who 'don't think it was tough' were a very small minority.
【Q.4 What are your reasons for thinking your mother had it tough?】
*Only those who answered 'I think it was very tough' or 'I think it was somewhat tough' in Q3
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked for their reasons for thinking their mother had it tough, 'Heavy burden of housework' was the most common at 70.6%, followed by 'Little personal time' at 51.6%.
Other comments included 'Because she always put herself second', 'Because she looked after her grandchildren after work', and 'Her mother-in-law and family relationships seemed difficult'.
【Q.5 What kind of work style did your mother have when you were a child?】
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked about their mother's work style when they were children (minors), 'Housewife in early childhood, then part-time or temporary work' was the most common at 29.2%, followed by 'Always a housewife' at 20.8%. On the other hand, only 18.3% responded 'Always a full-time employee', indicating that those who continued as full-time employees while raising children were a minority.
【Q.6 Do you want to work in the same way as your mother?】
When asked if they wanted to work in the same way as their mother, 'Not really' at 37.7% and 'Not at all' at 22.2% combined to 59.9% who responded 'No'.
Conversely, 'Very much so' at 9.5% and 'Somewhat' at 18.7% combined to 28.2% who responded 'Yes'.
【Q.7 Do you think the role of mothers in Japan is heavy?】
When asked if they thought the role of mothers in Japan was heavy, 'I think it's very heavy' was 75.4% and 'I think it's somewhat heavy' was 22.5%, totaling 97.9% who responded 'I think it's heavy'.
On the other hand, 'I don't think it's very heavy' was 1.4% and 'I don't think it's heavy at all' was 0.7%, totaling 2.1% who 'don't think it's heavy', a very small minority.
【Q.8 If you were a mother, what would you want for Mother's Day?】
*Multiple answers allowed
'Dining out/going out' was the most common at 41.2%, followed by 'Words of gratitude' at 36.6% and 'Free time alone' at 36.3%, which were almost tied. It was found that more people desire 'experiences' such as going out or words of gratitude, rather than 'material things' like gifts or sweets.
【Q.9 Are you doing anything for your father this Father's Day?】
*Multiple answers allowed
When asked if they would do anything for their father this Father's Day, 'Give a present' was the most common at 40.1%, but many also responded 'Do nothing in particular' (38.7%), which was about twice the number of people who responded 'Do nothing' for Mother's Day (20.1%). Father's Day is Mother's Day.