The Political Economy of Japan's Low Fertility

This book takes an interdisciplinary approach to one of Japan's thorniest public policy issues: why are women increasingly forgoing motherhood? At the heart of the matter lies a paradox: although the overall trend among rich countries is for fertility to decrease as female labor participation increases, gender-friendly countries resist the trend. Conversely, gender-unfriendly countries have lower fertility rates than they would have if they changed their labor markets to encourage the hiring of women—and therein lies Japan's problem. The authors argue that the combination of an inhospitable labor market for women and insufficient support for childcare pushes women toward working harder to promote their careers, to the detriment of childbearing. Controversial and enlightening, this book provides policy recommendations for solving not just Japan's fertility issue but those of other modern democracies facing a similar crisis. Introduction and overview. The political economy of low fertility / Frances McCall Rosenbluth ; Women's economic status and fertility: Japan in cross-national perspective / Sawako Shirahase Constraints on the demand for female labor. Gendering the varieties of capitalism: gender bias in skills and social policy / Margarita Estévez Abe ; Gendered offices: a comparative-historical examination of clerical work in Japan and the United States / Mary C. Brinton ; Employment options: Japan in comparative perspective / Eiko Kenjoh Constraints on women's supply of labor. Policies to support working mothers and children in Japan / Patricia Boling ; The political economy of daycare centers in Japan / Junichiro Wada ; The privatized education market and maternal employment in Japan / Keiko Hirao Conclusions and prescriptions. Conclusion / Frances McCall Rosenbluth. This study takes an interdisciplinary approach to one of Japan's thorniest public policy issues: why are women increasingly foregoing motherhood? The authors argue that the combination of an inhospitable labour market for women and insufficient support for childcare pushes women toward working harder to promote their careers, to the detriment of childbearing. The book provides policy recommendations for solving not just Japan's fertility issue, but those of other modern democracies facing a similar crisis This book argues that Japan's extremely low fertility rate is due to labor markets inhospitable to women , which make it difficult for them to balance home and work and discourage them from having as many children as they want.