Young Japanese women twice as likely to take extended sick leave as men: study

Mental health conditions and pregnancy-related complications are the most cited reasons for being absent for over a month, survey shows

Japanese women in their twenties were twice as likely to take extended sick leave as their male counterparts, a recent survey has found, prompting calls to health officials to pay more attention to sex and age in preventing long-term sick leave.

Mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety disorders, and pregnancy-related complications like severe morning sickness were the main reasons women called in sick for periods longer than 30 days, The Japan Times reported on Monday, citing a survey conducted by the Japan Institute for Health Security.

Yukari Taniyama and other researchers from the institute looked into sick leave cases from 2012 to 2021 involving around 100,000 employees at companies headquartered in east-central Japan. They categorised the incidence of illness or injury that caused extended sick leave by sex, age and cause.

Over the study period, 6,518 male employees took long-term sick leave, compared to 1,866 female employees. However, when calculated per 10,000 workers, women showed a higher incidence rate of 115.5 cases, against 89.2 for men.

By age group, women in their twenties took the most extended sick leave, at 176.6 cases per 10,000 workers, more than double the 83.8 seen among men of the same age.

Mental illness was the primary cause of long-term sick leave for both men and women, but that declined with age.

Women in their thirties to fifties still had higher extended sick leave rates than men in the same age groups due to musculoskeletal diseases and injuries. However, they had lower incidences of claiming sick leave for circulatory diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.

“Women generally have a higher incidence of long-term sick leave than men,” Taniyama said. “Gender and age differences must be taken into account when treating and preventing diseases that cause sick leave.”

Sick of work

For decades, Japan’s work culture has been defined by relentless hours and an ethos of personal sacrifice.

A total of 883 employees were officially recognised as suffering from work-related stress, depression and other mental health conditions in 2023 – the highest since records began, The Yomiuri newspaper reported last year, citing data from the health ministry.

The figure was up 173 from the previous year, according to a government white paper last year aimed at preventing karoshi (death by overwork). Of these, 79 involved suicides and attempted suicides, up 12 from 2022.

Notably, 216 workers had developed work-related brain or heart conditions, marking the first time in four years that this figure has surpassed 200.

However, in recent years, younger Japanese workers have begun to push back against this karoshi culture. Annual working hours in Japan have dropped by 11.6 per cent – from 1,839 in 2000 to 1,626 in 2022, according to a report by Takashi Sakamoto, an analyst with the Recruit Works Institute.

The decline was most pronounced among men in their twenties, noted the report, published last November.