Gendering Labour in the Making of the Factory Law in Japan

Abstract

In the Japanese employment system, a person’s compensation scheme is determined, not by that person’s current work, but according to an implicitly expected course of future gender roles. This system is the major reason for persistence of the gender gap in the Japanese labor market. This paper investigates when and how this system emerged, focusing on the legislative process of the Factory Law. Previous research suggests that the Factory Law introduced a division by gender into the labor market and marginalized women, enforcing different working conditions for men and women. Based on this view, the paper argues that 1） “future roles” for women were defined based on biological differences, 2） expected “future roles as mothers” justified discriminatory treatments for women, 3） These roles have been passed down to the present day and have become gender biases embedded in the labor market system.