An international comparison of gender equality : why is the japanese gender gap so persistent?
An international comparison of gender equality : why is the japanese gender gap so persistent?
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性别平等的国际比较:为什么日本的性别差距如此持久?
DOI:
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发表时间:
2013
期刊:
影响因子:
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通讯作者:
Margarita Estévez
中科院分区:
文献类型:
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作者:
Margarita Estévez
When it comes to gender equality, Japan lags behind other advanced countries despite the introduction of Equal Employment Opportunity Act in 1985. This article discusses institutional conditions that promote gender quality in the market place, and shows those conditions are largely lacking in Japan. Generally speaking, many consider Scandinavian countries as vanguards of gender equality. These countries have adopted extensive policy support enabling mothers to balance work and family. This article argues that mother-friendly policies are not the only factors that explain the relative economic position of men and women. It uses the US and Spain in order to highlight different institutional scenarios to promote gender equality. The economic position of Spanish women used to be as low as that in Japan. More specifically, this article discusses the equalizing effects of the following institutional conditions: (i) strong anti-discrimination laws matched with class action suits, (ii) the presence of professionally-oriented educational systems that allow women with academic abilities entry into high status occupations; (iii) market conditions that enable women to outsource their unpaid domestic work; and (iv) availability of contraceptive methods that give women control over their reproductive decisions.