A couple had to apologise for getting pregnant before it was their ‘turn’

She was asked "How could you so selfishly break the rules?"

A woman in Japan has been admonished at work for getting pregnant when it wasn't her "turn". The unnamed woman, who was working for a private childcare centre, was told that she had "selfishly" broken her employer's rules. Her 28-year-old husband wrote an open letter to the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun earlier this year, saying that his wife felt "anxious" about her pregnancy. He also explained that her company had determined when female employees were allowed to convince. The letter read:

“The director at the child-care centre where she works had determined the order in which workers could get married or pregnant, and apparently there was an unspoken rule that one must not take their ‘turn’ before a senior staff member. “Childcare providers sacrifice their own children to care for the children of others. “It is a noble profession that nurtures children who will forge the future of this country. “I respect my wife for her commitment to her profession, and continue to encourage her. “The conditions of those working to nurture and care for children are evidence of a backward country.”

The couple ended up apologising to the director, but the husband said that his wife continues to be told off by senior members of staff. He continued:

"The director grudgingly accepted our apology, but since the next day, has been chiding my wife with harsh words, such as, 'How could you so selfishly break the rules?' "My wife feels guilty thinking about the hard labor conditions of her colleagues. "I am fully aware that we are at fault for not planning well. But who benefits from having their 'turn' to have children dictated, and following those rules?"