The Contradictions of the Womenomics Campaign: Abe Shinzō's Employment Reforms and Japan's Public Service Workers

Abstract

Japan, in economic terms, is possibly the most gender-unequal of post-industrial democracies. Over half of female salaried workers are relegated to non-regular status, suffering large differentials in wages and benefits, and the ratios of women holding management level positions in corporations or the civil service remain exceptionally low. 1 Yet that very situation provides the government of Abe Shinzō, prime minister since 2012, an excellent opportunity to sponsor reforms that might not only reduce workplace inequality but also stimulate economic growth (Shibata 2017) and strengthen political support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) by bolstering its faltering support among women. 2 Indeed, the Abe government has made women's workplace advancement a pillar of its economic agenda. Under the rubric of Womenomics, the government has launched campaigns to reduce the country's large pay differentials and expand the childcare and elder care systems, policies that could greatly benefit women and childrearing couples (Dalton 2017a). Moreover, the timing is fortuitous. Japanese employers have long resisted equalityenhancing measures that could raise costs or weaken managerial control over workers, but steady economic growth has created a margin for additional spending and increasingly severe labor shortages have forced many companies to improve their treatment of nonregular employees and to introduce work-life balance (WLB) measures to attract workers. 3 Charles Weathers teaches labor-management relations and political economy at Osaka City University in Japan. His recent research interests include public service workers and labor policymaking. His recent publications include "Enter the Workers: Japan's Changing Childcare Controversy" (Social

Diversities of neoliberalism: Comparing US–Japan labor policymaking under Abe Shinzō and Donald Trump

“…Furthermore, notwithstanding evidence that robust public sectors and public services bolster economic performance and help to maintain birthrates (Iversen & Rosenbluth 2011;Shibata 2017), conservative politicians in both countries often campaign to reduce spending and privatize services. There is little public pressure in either Japan or the United States to pay living wages to public service workers, such as childcare or elder care workers, since they are heavily female and have low social status (Folbre 2001;Weathers 2018).…”

“…Abe demonstrates an appreciation of the value of public services, driven in large part by fears of population decline (Vogel 2018). The administration's labor reform program, along with the Dynamic Society of One Hundred Million agenda announced in 2015, places strong emphasis on greatly improving care services and assisting working parents (Weathers 2018). However, Abe appears disinterested in the employment conditions of public service workers.…”

“…Abe has been especially intent on increasing childcare capacity to alleviate anger about the notoriously fierce competition to secure slots in better quality facilities (Inokuma 2014). By making more intensive use of ongoing neoliberal policies -outsourcing public services, using deregulation to lower costs, and providing subsidies to private operators, especially in childcare -the administration has maintained or expanded services while holding down costs (Kansei waakingu pua kenkyūkai, 2010;Kobayashi 2018;Weathers 2018). As a result, however, the ranks of low-paid workers have swelled.…”