WHILE much is made of ikumen – fathers who take an active parenting role – some men struggle to balance work and childcare. Surveys show that these men sometimes experience postpartum depression. The cause appears to be the effort they make to fit in housework and childcare, which they are unaccustomed to, with increasing workplace responsibilities.
Postpartum depression, which is caused by changes in hormonal balance after childbirth and other factors, was once considered an ailment specific to women. Since 2005, however, Western research indicated that men also can experience the same symptoms including anxiety, depression and self-injurious behaviour.
