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A comment on Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses. Parent comment

Re:Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses by chongli on Wednesday November 28, 2018 @07:05PM (#18556911)
The resource constraints now are time and location. It's affordable to buy houses in a lot of places, just not so many that have access to good jobs and schools. So people prioritize the latter and sacrifice their time by commuting for work.

Since both parents now work, often with lengthy commutes, there isn't a whole lot of person-hours left to spend with the children. That means people have fewer of them.

When the kids get older and it's time to send them to university, well, that's something which has gone backwards in affordability. The cost of a university degree has shot through the roof. How could anyone afford to send 3 kids to university these days, let alone 8?

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Re:Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses by eloff on Wednesday November 28, 2018 @09:13PM (#18557517)
I think both parents (or especially the woman) working is probably the big part of it. But I don't think many people factor the cost of university degrees into their decision (whether they should is another matter)
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Re:Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses by elliekelly on Thursday November 29, 2018 @02:32AM (#18558684)
> I think both parents (or especially the woman)

Why do you say especially the woman? Not trying to pick a fight, I'm genuinely curious.

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Re:Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses by pferde on Thursday November 29, 2018 @03:46AM (#18558905)
Because traditionally, staying at home taking care of kids has been usually done by women.
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Re:Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses by eloff on Thursday November 29, 2018 @02:11PM (#18562933)
Never mind traditionally, this is still true, even in the most egalitarian countries (Scandinavian countries). Women have to choose between family and career, men don't really have to do that. The biggest driver behind the gender pay gap is the difference between women with children and women without. Somehow we haven't solved the issue that it's a cost borne primarily by women.
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