Every morning, Yuko, a 33-year-old resident of Kanagawa Prefecture, gets up at 4 a.m., does the housework, prepares the evening meal, takes the three children to a nursery, and then goes to work.

Yuko sits on the floor at her home in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Since separating from her husband five months ago, Yuko, not her real name, has been walking a tightrope, balancing work, household chores and child-rearing.