Career trajectories and interruption penalty among Japanese mothers

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K04107
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: Ochanomizu University (2018-2019); Meisei University (2016-2017)
• Principal Investigator: Nishimura Junko お茶の水女子大学, 基幹研究院, 准教授 (90350280)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 就業キャリア / 出産・育児 / 再就職 / 賃金

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study investigated the career of Japanese mothers born between the 1960s and 1980s. The results of the data analyses showed that younger mothers are more likely to return as regular workers with the same occupation that she had before childbirth, as well as non-regular workers with different occupation, compared to mothers of older birth cohorts, which implies polarization of mothers’ career is going on. This study also examined wage gap among Japanese mothers who continued their career and those who once quitted and re-entered the labor market. The results of data analyses showed relatively persistent wage gap among continuously employed and returnees, although the gap becomes smaller as the time passes after re-entry.

Free Research Field

社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本では1990年代以降、少子化を背景とした、育児休業制度の充実等の子育て支援策が展開される一方で、経済不況による非正規雇用者化が進んできた。出産・育児期の女性の就業率は高まる傾向にあるが、同時に、出産・育児期の女性のキャリアは、二極化している傾向も示唆された。賃金面においても、就業継続者と離職―再就職者の間では格差が確認された。こうした知見は、1990年代以降の労働市場の動向と政策展開のなかで、女性内の格差が生じている可能性が示唆しており、政策的な対応の必要性を示している。