2. Japanese Gender Exceptionalism

Strategies and you may regulations, eg ladies’ days off work therefore the way to obtain parental log off for men, lay national, structural contexts having men’s relatives functions ( Hook 2006). Japan’s female work force participation refuted across the most of the twentieth century, increasing just about 7% as the 1970, a period when other Providers from Economic Cooperation and you can Invention (OECD) regions watched average growth of 25% ( Ochiai 1997: 17–18; Danjo Kyodo Sangaku Kaigi 2005: 6). Because of a great ily people and you will an increased interest in part-time gurus, married feminine gurus today basically work with earnings outside of the household ( Rebick 2005: 114). 5% was indeed into the 2007 ( MHLW 2008: 10). Anywhere between 1985 and you can 2007, this new part of women gurus operating part time twofold and people operating into the fixed-title deals tripled ( Nakamura 2006). Certain experts see it while the evidence you to definitely secondary discrimination contrary to the 43% of the labor pool which is female try spreading ( Sato, Osawa and Weathers 2001).

Together with indicative of carried on trends, this new bend symbolizing ladies labor force involvement over the lives course keeps a keen ‘M’ contour on account of detachment out-of employment having childrearing ( Rebick 2005: 26).

Even with Japanese ladies relatively low costs out-of involvement in the paid off work and you may correspondingly high-level of dedication to help you students, The japanese is actually experience a crisis out-of around-reproduction. Relationships and virility costs are dropping together, due to the fact feminine avoid or delay ). Less than 2% away from births take place outside wedlock ( NIPSSR 2004: 8), which means declining wedding prices has a visible impact towards fertility costs. Total fertility decrease less than substitute for top (2.08) in the mid-seventies, and in case it hit step 1.twenty-five in the 2006, Perfect Minister Koizumi called it the brand new government’s ‘most clicking issue’ ( Botting 2006). (more…)