The economic and social status of the Ainu has remained lower than that of the
Wajin, even after various welfare measures were implemented. This paper attempts to
clarify the reasons for this by focusing on the education system of Ainu people and the
formation process of their occupational hierarchy, with a particular focus on the Ainu
labor market, which consists of occupations unique to the Ainu people.
The university entrance rate of Ainu people is still lower than that of the Wajin,
and the dropout rate from both high school and university is high. The reasons why
the Ainu give up going to school or quit school can be categorized into four major
groups: poverty and economic reasons, aversion to studying and school, discrimination,
and parental intentions and family circumstances. The background that facilitates
school dropout is the Ainu labor market. The Ainu labor market can be categorized
into“ethnic”and“regional” types, and the ethnic type can be categorized into“tourist
”and“administrative”types, providing jobs that do not require a high level of education
for Ainu. While the Ainu labor market has advantages such as serving as a safety net
and inspiring pride in the Ainu people, it also has disadvantages such as low wages,
instability, heavy workloads, and sometimes blatant discrimination.
In recent years, the Ainu labor market has been losing its influence, and in some
areas, employment has become more precarious. On the other hand, some Ainu have been
able to improve their economic status by not relying on the Ainu labor market.
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