Womenomics: A Model for a New Family Policy in Japan?

Abstract

This chapter explores the question of whether Womenomics can function as a new model for family policy in Japan. The term “family policy” here refers to all kinds of supportive policies that enable women to combine parenting and employment, and that promote female employment. After providing an overview of the content of Womenomics, this article examines how the female workforce has been utilized under Japan’s previous gender equality policies and how the changing conditions of Japan’s labor market form the background to Abe’s current politics. The chapter also reviews some of the papers that advised Japan’s administration in the deployment of Womenomics. Goldman Sachs Japan (GSJ), as the main originator of the strategy, suggests further deregulation and privatization of social institutions as well as of the public sector, presenting this as a magical solution for the various structural problems that hinder the improvement of female employment in Japan. The final part of this chapter illustrates how the Japanese government has implemented these market-oriented recommendations from GSJ. The conclusion will critically discuss the Japanese government’s approach of having economic growth as a primary goal of promoting social development and improving female employmen