What Happened When Male Politicians Learned What Pregnancy Is Like

A viral video from Japan is showing what happens when dads get a chance to walk in a mother’s shoes.

While much of the world lags behind when it comes to equality in housework and parenting duties, recent reports have shown that Japan has an especially long way to go. A 2015 OECD report showed that Japanese men spend slightly more than one hour on unpaid housework each day, while women spend five and a half hours. In 2013, the BBC reported that about 70 percent of Japanese women leave the workforce after having their first child.

These statistics are part of the reason why the Kyushu Yamaguchi Work Life Promotion Campaign created this video, which encourages fathers to play a more active role in childcare and household chores.

Titled “The Governor is a Pregnant Woman,” the video follows three politicians and fathers who go through their days while wearing padded vests to simulate pregnancy. As they go to work, do chores and travel around town, the men learn how seemingly simple tasks can become challenging and come to understand how much they could be helping their wives in everyday life.

“Happiness is brought about by a healthy balance of work and family,” states the translated English caption.

According to the video, the overwhelming majority of men who participated in the same experiment believe that fathers need to get more involved in housework and child-rearing.

Amen.

H/T Babble