Starting from April, female doctors with children at Fujita Health University Hospital in Toyoake, Aichi Prefecture, who need shorter working hours to care for their young will have the option of working 20 or 30 hours a week, instead of the regular 40 hours.
The doctors "felt that it was more important to continue a career they liked" than to quit, even though their salaries will be reduced by half.
The hospital is among others in the Tokai region that have introduced measures this spring to help female doctors balance their work and child-rearing. The steps include shorter working hours and helping former female doctors, many of whom quit their jobs in their 30s when they get married and have children, to resume working again.