Noriko Tani
Kyoto University (Japan)
taninoriko@gmail.com
Economic Crisis in Japan
•Male Unemployment Rate 5.5% (2010)
Female Unemployment Rate 4.7%
Female Employment Rate 48.5% (2009)
Male Employment Rate 72%
•Economic Crisis
More Part-time Employment
•In 2009, the number of part-time workers has increased 2.8% from the last year
•The number of full time workers has decreased 0.9%.
•Female irregular workers including female part-time workers = 54.1%
•Percentage of Part-time Workers
•Rate of Part-time Workers
•Number of Female Part-Time Workers
Part-Time = Poor Working Condition
Part-time workers : No social insurance and pension through their employers
full-time workers = permanent contracts
part-time workers = temporary contracts
•Financial Incentive for companies
to hire part-time workers
Salary does not increase with age
78 % of all companies reduced costs for personnel by hiring part-time workers.
Average Salary
Part-time workers =\194,800
Full-time workers =\316,500
(108 yen=1 euro).
•Expectations for Women
•Women are often expected to combine work and care.
•67% of female workers leave the company after the birth of their first child or after getting married.
Source: the ministry of health, labor and welfare
Women’s Choice: Leave or Continue?
•Reasons for leaving the job
•Difficult to combine work and household
•27% of female workers who quit the job because of marriage
•Reason: Physically and psychologically impossible to combine work and household
•Ideal and reality of working women
when they are giving the birth
•Reentry in labor market: M curve
• After their children grow, most of the mothers reenter the labor market as part-time workers
•New Short-Work Law (from 2010 July)
Until child gets 3 years old: 6 work hours
Only apply for full-time workers
•Male and Female
Labor Participation Rate 2008
•Female Labor Participation Rate(Japan)
•Japanese Working Policy
•Part-Time Work Law
Prohibit Discrimination against part-time workers whose job is same as full-time workers
(content of job, way of human resources, length of renewing temporary contracts)
53.5% of companies questioned: No influence
•Child Care Law
•Maternity Leave : 14 weeks
Given 67% of salary
•Child Care Leave: 1 Year
Given 50% of salary
Part-Time Workers cannot use this right
Unless hired by the same employer more than a year and will be hired afterwards
•Female Workers in Japan
•Decent Work=Only Full-Time
•Companies want Part-Time Workers
•Mothers: Quit the job and work again
Difficult to find full-time job
•Have to choose part-time work
•Exploited in poor working conditions
