The political economy of Japan's low fertility
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Bibliographic Information
The political economy of Japan's low fertility
Stanford University Press, 2007
- : cloth
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Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
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.
Table of Contents
Contents page Acknowledgements Contributors Part I Introduction and Overview 1 The Political Economy of Low Fertility 2 FRANCES MCCALL ROSENBLUTH 2 Women's Economic Status and Fertility in Japan in Cross-National 44 Perspective SAWAKO SHIRAHASE Part II Constraints on the Demand for Female Labor 3 Gendering the Varieties of Capitalism: Gender Bias in Skills and Social Policy 78 MARGARITA ESTEVEZ ABE 4 Gendered Offices: A Comparative-Historical Examination of Clerical 109 Work in Japan and the U.S. MARY C. BRINTON 5 Employment Options in Comparative Perspective 142 EIKO KENJOH Part III Constraints on Women's Supply of Labor 6 Policies to Support Working Mothers and Children in Japan 167 PATRICIA BOLING 7 The Political Economy of Day Care Centers in Japan 200 JUNICHIRO WADA 8 The Privatized Education Market and Maternal Employment in Japan 221 KEIKO HIRAO Part IV Conclusions and Prescriptions 9 Conclusion: Trade-offs and Political Feasibility of Policy Choices 258 FRANCES ROSENBLUTH Notes Index
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