Mynavi Releases 'Housewife Part-Time Job Survey (2026)'

Mynavi Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Shunsuke Awai) has released the 'Housewife Part-Time Job Survey (2026)', targeting 1,630 married women aged 20–50 who are currently employed as part-time workers.

————————————————————————————————————————

【TOPICS】

◆ 23.3% of part-time housewives are adjusting their work hours to avoid a reduction in take-home pay. Approximately half of them expressed a desire to increase working hours if their take-home pay would not decrease. [Figures 1, 2]

◆ 22.1% of housewives adjusting their work hours report being asked by their workplace to work more. Meanwhile, some receive requests from spouses to limit their income. [Figure 3]

◆ Over 80% of those who were full-time employees before childbirth said that childbirth influenced their decision to leave full-time employment. The desire to prioritize family and the difficulty of balancing work and childcare are key factors. [Figures 4, 5]

————————————————————————————————————————

【Survey Overview】

◆ 23.3% of part-time housewives are adjusting their work hours to avoid a reduction in take-home pay. About half of them indicated they would like to increase working hours if their take-home pay remained unchanged.

When asked whether they are currently adjusting their part-time work hours, 23.3% of respondents answered that they are doing so to avoid a decrease in take-home pay.

Meanwhile, when asked about a hypothetical scenario in which income thresholds no longer affect take-home pay, 40.9% said they would increase their working hours at their current workplace, and 10.0% said they would do so at another workplace. Combined, 50.9% expressed a desire to work more hours. This suggests that factors such as the so-called 'income threshold' and spousal allowances may significantly influence employment decisions within households. [Figures 1, 2]

[Figure 1]

[Figure 2]

◆ 22.1% of housewives adjusting their work hours have been asked by their workplace to work more. Meanwhile, 16.6% have been asked by their spouses to limit their income.

Among housewives who are adjusting their work hours, 22.1% reported being asked by their current workplace to work more, primarily by supervisors or colleagues.

On the other hand, 16.6% said they have been told to 'not earn too much (limit income)', mostly by their spouses.

Additionally, 11.0% said they have not been directly asked to work more, but feel that their coworkers or workplace expects it, suggesting the presence of unspoken pressure from workplace culture.

This indicates that part-time housewives adjusting their hours are often caught between workplace expectations and household financial considerations. [Figure 3]

[Figure 3]

◆ 83.9% of housewives who were full-time employees before childbirth said that childbirth influenced their decision to leave full-time employment. The desire to prioritize family and the difficulty of balancing full-time work with childcare are key factors.

Among housewives who worked as full-time employees before childbirth, 83.9% said that childbirth influenced their decision to leave full-time employment.

When asked about the factors involved, 'wanting to prioritize family' was the most common response at 44.3%, followed by 'feeling that full-time employment makes balance difficult' (33.9%) and 'wanting to align with family schedules' (32.4%). Other factors included 'anticipating sudden absences due to children’s illness' (26.8%), 'needing flexibility for childcare' (23.5%), and 'difficulty with overtime or after-hours work' (21.6%), all indicating challenges in balancing full-time work with parenting.

There appears to be a gap between the desire to prioritize family and the expectations of full-time employment, with the difficulty of balancing both contributing to the decision to leave full-time roles. [Figures 4, 5]

[Figure 4]

[Figure 5]

【Researcher Commentary】

This survey reveals various factors affecting part-time housewives’ employment, including employment constraints due to income-related systems, being caught between workplace and household expectations, and unspoken pressure from their surroundings.

Additionally, nearly 80% of part-time housewives who were previously full-time employees left their jobs due to childbirth, with the difficulty of balancing work and family life being a major factor. As comments such as 'overtime is difficult' suggest, the prevailing notion that 'full-time employees must work full-time' may be creating pressure.

Moving forward, in addition to establishing flexible employment systems within companies, there is a need to review structural issues such as 'income thresholds' and update societal values regarding work styles to create an environment that supports more diverse ways of working.

Haruka Motoyama, Researcher, Career Research Lab

————————————————————————————————————————

'Mynavi Housewife Part-Time Job Survey (2026)'

【Survey Period】 February 18 (Wed), 2026 – March 2 (Mon), 2026

【Survey Target】 Married women aged 20–50 currently working part-time

【Valid Responses】 1,630 samples

【Survey Method】 Web questionnaire survey (Conducted by: Mynavi Corporation; Panel provided by: External research company)

※ Weighting was applied based on gender and regional composition ratios from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' 'Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025)' for part-time and temporary workers aged 15 and over.

※ Due to rounding, totals may not add up to 100%.

※ For detailed survey results, visit:

(https://career-research.mynavi.jp/reserch/20260618_111462/)

————————————————————————————————————————