Women’s Representation and the Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Japan

Abstract

This chapter examines women’s representation in the Japan. In the economic realm, Womenomics implemented under the Abe regime made several meaningful improvements in women’s labor participation, especially those who have children. However, little progress was in the gender wage gap and the gender disparity in quality job employment. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a disproportionate impact on women, parents, and those with non-regular jobs. This, in turn, led to lower trust and confidence in the government and its policy responses to the pandemic. The latter half of this chapter considers gender representation in politics. The 2021 general election saw a decrease in the number of women representatives. As with previous elections, the ruling party, Liberal Democratic Party, had the smallest share of female candidates and elected women legislators. This chapter examines both supply- and demand-side factors in order to explain the lack of women representation in Japan.