キャリア形成途上段階女性の雇用市場退出と一時退出の判別

ライフコース (展望) の視点から

抄録

In Japan, since the early 1980's, women's occupational careers have been investigated by means of life course frameworks. However, it has been difficult to describe their life course patterns precisely, especially with regard to “Retirement type”. This type in reality includes two different groups. One represents those who permanently retire from the labor markets because of family life events, such as marriage, childbirth and childcare. The other represents those who re-enter labor markets after finishing childcare. To avoid this confusion, it is indispensable to grasp life course patterns by a combination of life event chains and life prospects. Through a questionnaire we designed, it was possible to describe the mid-career women's life course and life course prospects and to distinguish permanent retirement from temporary, using data from 1, 539 graduates (aged 35, 50 and 65) of a women's university in Tokyo in 1996.
The main findings are as follows:(1) Our questionnaire could extract life course prospects of the “younger cohort” and “mid-career women” from former questionnaires which buried them into the life event chains of “older cohort” and “the women who have finished their life events”.
(2) Analysis of determinant factors between the two groups of the youngest cohort (age 35) with no job, indicates that their own aspiration for life course cherished while in university is the strongest determinant.
(3) Between the two groups, there are different tendencies in the attitude and consciousness about their family and childcare.
Therefore, it will be necessary to prepare different support policies for each group:(1) For those who retire from the labor markets, support for activities other than occupations is important.
(2) In contrast, for those who plan to re-enter the labor market, it is essential not only to make it easier for them to resume their jobs, but also to provide flexible employment opportunities.
To consolidate the above stated findings, it will be necessary to use case studies and a panel survey.