Towards sustainable society: Womenomics and women employment in Japan

Abstract

Japan’s gender inequality, aging population, and economic stagnancy create problems to sustain society. To counter this, under the growth-promotion policies coined as ‘Abenomics,’ the Abe government proposed a set of policies under its structural reform policy called ‘Womenomics. By analyzing policy papers, statistical data, and news articles using Ochiai’s familialist welfare concept and Osawa’s Japan corporate system, this research aims to add further contrasting evidence on how much Womenomics fare as a women-empowering policy to counter the growing gender inequality, stagnant economic growth and low fertility rates in Japan. However, instead of achieving structural reform, I argued that Womenomics only focused on economic growth ‘for the greater good’ by utilizing women to enter the labor market without addressing their real problems.