Colleagues,

Based on an FT article by usually well-informed David Pilling, the "in the labour force" comparison isn't quite valid because while many Japanese women work, they apparently work much less frequently in full-time, permanent jobs than in Western countries (although, well, few jobs outside of the armed forces or universities are permanent these days.)

>From the FT article accessible here (subscription
required):

"One reason to be pessimistic about the economic impact of more women in the workforce is the sort of jobs they do. About 55 per cent of working women are in non-regular employment, earning half as much on average as full-time male employees. Many women do such jobs not because they are striking a blow for feminism but because they need to supplement their husband's (probably declining) income. Others are heads of one-parent families, the numbers of which have increased."

Regular vs. irregular or part-time jobs is probably hidden in the OECD data manuals somewhere.

Best regards,

Mark S. Manger
Assistant Professor of Political Economy and Global Affairs Munk School of Global Affairs & Department of Political Science | University of Toronto Observatory Site | 315 Bloor Street West | Room 212
Toronto, ON M5S 0A7
Phone: 416-946-8927 | Fax: 416-946-8877
mark.manger@utoronto.ca
www.munkschool.utoronto.ca/mga

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