個の時代
先進国で人口の減少が著しい。日本も高齢化と共に人口減少が進んでいる。その原因は女性の出生率が２以下である事だが、更にその原因は次の通りであろう。
（１）男女共に未婚率が増えている。
（２）結婚しても子供が一人という世帯が増えている。
（３）離婚率の上昇によるシングルマザーやシングルファーザーが増えている。
このように世界の先進国で核家族化更には単身世帯が増えており、家族も大きく変容している。
かつては、家族が揃って食事をする事が普通であったが、現代では同じ世帯の家族であっても食事の時間も食事のメニューもバラバラだという事が普通にある。
これらの状況を勘案すると、時代は個の時代に移行しつつあるように見える。子育ては多世代の複雑な人間関係を有する家庭が望ましい事を考えると、決して好ましいとは思えない。しかしながら、個の時代へのシフトは止め難いので、法律もこの線にそって見直すべきかも知れない。
The Age of Individuals
The population decline is remarkable in developed countries. Japan is also experiencing a population decline due to aging. The reason for this is that the female birth rate is below 2, but the further reasons are likely to be as follows.
(1) The rate of unmarried people is increasing for both men and women.
(2) The number of married households with only one child is increasing.
(3) The number of single mothers and single fathers is increasing due to rising divorce rates.
In this way, nuclear families and even single-person households are increasing in developed countries around the world, and families are also undergoing major changes.
In the past, it was common for families to eat meals together, but nowadays it is common for family members of the same household to have different meal times and menus.
Considering these circumstances, it seems that we are moving towards an age of the individual. This does not seem desirable, considering that raising children in a family with complex intergenerational human relationships is desirable. However, the shift towards an age of the individual is difficult to stop, so perhaps the law should be reviewed along these lines.
