Abstract
This paper is concerned to explore occupational segregation and its impact on gender wage
differentials in Japan and China based on the micro-data from Chinese 1999 urban household
income survey and Japanese 2004 Keio University household income panel data survey, using
decomposition models developed by Oaxaca and Brown et al.
The results indicate that although social economic system of Japan and China is different,
occupational segregation is a common factor of gender wage differentials in Japan and China. The
main findings are as follows: (1) In Japan and China, there are gender differentials in occupation
distribution, and the intra-occupation differentials affect the gender wage differentials. The
crowding hypothesis is proved in Japan and China. (2) Although the intra-occupation differentials
affect the gender wage differentials in both Japan and China, the intra-occupation differentials
effect is greater in Japan than China. It shows that the problem of discrimination in the same
occupation in Japan is more serious.
These results suggest that for making a solution about the problem of occupational segregation and gender wage differentials in Japan and china, male and female employment equality law and an equal pay for equal work policy are important.
