Susumu Namikawa × Rie Tanaka Conversation (Part 1) Creating New Choices for Moms

This installment, "Moms' Potential Value," features the first part of a conversation between copywriter Susumu Namikawa from Dentsu Inc. Social Design Engine and Rie Tanaka, representative of Mama Lab.

 

Volunteering is great, but earning money would be even better

 

Tanaka: The keyword "Mothers' Potential Value" came up during a casual chat with Mr. Namikawa, didn't it? Since he works mainly in social media and I focus on Mama Lab, the conversation naturally turned to building a bridge between social media and mothers. I believe it started with the idea: Instead of residents volunteering for regional revitalization, couldn't we create a system where housewives raising children in the area could participate as work that also brings tangible benefits?

Namikawa: There's this vague, sentimental notion that society finds value in supporting declining regional cities. But isn't it just everyone trying hard with good intentions, without a clear vision of the end result? That's why I think we need to make the future value of what doesn't exist yet visible. Following that line of thought, we got really excited about the idea: "What future value would emerge if housewives who aren't currently working started working? Visualizing moms' potential value would be great!"

Tanaka: The definition of "working" varies for each mom; not everyone wants to be a career woman. Even those who were career women might find value in new, community-rooted ways of working. It's about supporting them as they adopt different ways of working and engaging with their community – that's what "potential value" means, right?

Namikawa: Exactly. Even if we can't see it right now, knowing that value is actually there means we don't have to just hype it up with enthusiasm alone.

Tanaka: I see the press release on "Direct Effects and Economic Ripple Effects of Housewives Re-entering the Workforce" as the first step in visualizing future value through potential value. Many moms starting work now prefer part-time positions, with conditions like "leaving on time" and "working near home." Companies that view hiring as a cost and operate on a shoestring budget might not have the capacity to hire such moms. But I hope new industries or businesses emerge locally, creating new matching opportunities that accommodate workers' circumstances.

Namikawa: That's right.

Tanaka: Local volunteering is good, but earning money would be even better. I want to increase the options for how people want to work, how they want to live, and how they want to engage with their community.

Namikawa: Once you start thinking about "how to increase options," it gets pretty tricky, doesn't it? Speaking of which, I hear part-time jobs with the volunteer fire department are popular with moms lately.

Tanaka: It feels good to be helpful to someone, and getting paid is a big plus, right? After raising kids for ten years without working, you might lose the motivation to re-enter the workforce. But if you've been active during that gap, you might not hesitate to start working again. I think it would be great if stay-at-home moms focused on childcare could have opportunities to utilize their skills while maintaining a normal life, or have more flexible options like "I can handle this much."

Namikawa: In reality, there are all kinds of moms. With this project, we want to expand the ways moms can be and the choices available to them. Like creating ten new job types for moms.

Tanaka: That's great!

Presenting new markets feels like a really great idea.

 

Namikawa: Right now, I'm working on a project to establish a national park on the Oshika Peninsula. This stems from a desire to change the very nature of national parks in Japan. For example, in the US, there are tens of thousands of park rangers who manage national parks. They teach children visiting the parks about the environment. They've become role models for kids. You know, wearing cowboy hats and all.

Tanaka: Are rangers volunteer staff?

Namikawa: No, no, they do it as a job. Japan's Ministry of the Environment has rangers too, but in places like Miyagi Prefecture, there are only a few, and they work in offices, not in the national parks. If the ranger profession became an aspirational job for protecting the local environment, it would increase career options and bring various benefits to the region.

Tanaka: That sounds like there could be a new market there.

Namikawa: There is a market. I think presenting a new market is a really good thing.

Tanaka:For "Direct Effects and Economic Ripple Effects of Housewives Re-entering the Workforce," we initially focused on reality by examining income and expenditure, but ultimately, we started hoping it would lead to the creation of a new market.

Namikawa: Creating new forms of work and new career paths for moms feels like it holds tremendous potential.

Namikawa: Exactly. My dad's soba is actually pretty good (laughs).

Tanaka: There are online matching services, but they haven't really caught on yet, right? I think there are small-scale needs out there. Like, "A button came off my clothes, I don't have time to find a replacement and sew it on, but I want to wear it next week..."

Namikawa: That kind of need might exist.

Tanaka: But people don't think to look online to solve that. And calling a place advertised on a utility pole with a "Clothes Repair" sign takes a lot of courage.

Namikawa: "Clothes Repair"? Maybe that needs a redesign. Just tweaking the name or how it's phrased could actually make it take off. You don't have to invent a whole new profession from scratch—just redesign it into something interesting, and you might uncover a need.

[ Continued in Part 2 ]