noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
reducing the number of dependents; mouths to feed reduction
Historically refers to the practice of sending children away for adoption, apprenticeship, or service to ease a family's financial burden. Often used in discussions of pre-modern Japan. Can be used metaphorically for any reduction in household size.
江戸時代には、貧しい農家が口減らしのために子どもを奉公に出した。
In the Edo period, poor farming families sent their children into service as a way of reducing the number of mouths to feed.
With income falling due to the recession, they considered leaving their child with relatives as a way to cut down on dependents.