Woman-type Career Survey: Fewer than 40% of Women Use All Paid Leave, Two in Three Feel Barriers to Taking It

Career Design Center Co., Ltd., operator of the women-focused job change site Woman-type Career, conducted a survey of 266 working women about paid leave. The survey found that 38.0% of respondents had used all of their paid leave granted in the past year, making this the largest group but still less than 40%. Another 22.1% said they used around 80%, while 18.8% used around half. Meanwhile, 11.3% said they had used almost none of their paid leave. The most common reason for taking paid leave was travel and leisure, cited by 50.7% of respondents. This was followed by personal illness or sick leave at 45.2%, and family events, childcare, or caregiving at 41.2%. The results suggest that paid leave supports not only leisure, but also health and family responsibilities. When asked whether they feel it is difficult to bring up paid leave requests, 43.0% said they sometimes feel that way, while 20.4% said they feel it every time. In total, 63.4% reported feeling a psychological barrier when applying for paid leave. The top reason was concern that work would not function if they took time off, at 21.4%. This was followed by a workplace atmosphere that discourages leave during busy periods or on certain days, at 18.6%, and concerns about work piling up after returning or the fact that supervisors and colleagues are not taking leave, each at 15.0%. The survey also found that 42.6% of respondents had taken paid leave while giving a reason different from the real one. Of these, 29.1% said this happens sometimes and 13.5% said it happens often. At the same time, 32.3% said they do not need to state a reason for taking leave in the first place. Regarding paid leave before leaving a previous job, 60.7% said they used all of it, while 15.3% said they used almost none. The most common activity during pre-resignation paid leave was travel and leisure at 31.9%, followed by family events, caregiving, or childcare at 23.1%. Hobbies, fandom activities, and events, as well as recuperation from illness, each stood at 21.8%. Another 25.0% said they did nothing in particular. Asked whether they had regrets or concerns about how they used paid leave before resigning, 44.6% said they had none and found the time fulfilling. However, 23.6% said they wasted time aimlessly, 17.8% said they should have prepared more discretionary money, and 14.0% said they should have prepared for their next job. Kayoko Kobayashi, editor-in-chief of Woman-type Career, said the findings show that more than 60% of women feel psychological pressure when requesting paid leave, and around 40% have applied for leave using a reason different from the actual one. She noted that when considering a job change due to difficulty taking time off, it is important to check not only whether a leave system exists, but also how easy it is to actually use. She suggested asking in interviews how teams coordinate leave, or speaking with current employees in casual meetings about why they recently took time off and what the workplace atmosphere is like. The survey, titled “Are You Taking Paid Leave?” was conducted from April 1 to April 7, 2026, among Woman-type Career members. It received 266 valid responses and was conducted online.