Paradigm Change in Japanese Policy on Women

Abstract

To understand how Japanese policy on women has changed over time, this paper considers mainly the case of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law and the Enactment of Gender Equality Fundamental Law for analysis.

The analytical framework of the study is based on the concept of policy paradigm by Peter Hall. Policy paradigms refer to the set of ideas and standards that specify the goals of policy, the kind of instruments that can be used to attain them, and the nature of problems they are meant to address.

This paper focused on policy ideas on equality of men and women -‘protection’,‘equality’, and ‘gender equality’- how they flowed into political process and clashed with each other and became institutionalized.

Through the analysis, a change process in Japanese policy on women has been found which shifts from ‘protection paradigm’ to ‘gender equality paradigm’.