Mid- and long-term effects of motherhood on women's employment

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K02154
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08010:Sociology-related
• Research Institution: Ochanomizu University
• Principal Investigator: Nishimura Junko お茶の水女子大学, 基幹研究院, 教授 (90350280)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 女性就業 / ワークライフバランス政策 / 労働市場の二重性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The past three decades are characterized by a deepened labor market duality, continued basic social welfare framework in which labor market position is pivotal for entitlement, and enhancement of work-life-balance policies. During this period, the employment rate of women in childrearing years increased, while about half of them became unemployed once they gave birth. The results of the analyses showed that women in younger cohort were not more likely to obtain regular employment after reentry, and that their wages in postbirth years were significantly lower when they were in nonregular employment than they were in regular employment. This suggests that work interruptions are one of the triggers that shape their subsequent disadvantageous labor market conditions.

Free Research Field

社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本では1990年代以降、社会保障制度等の面では既存の制度に大きな改革がおこなわれないまま、労働市場の二重性の深化が進んできた。それと同時に、少子化を背景にワークライフバランス政策が進められてきた。本研究は、このような状況が子どもを育てる女性の労働へもたらしたインパクトを検討するものであった。分析結果からは、出産・子育て期の女性の就業率の上昇は確認できたものの、いったん離職した女性が、正規雇用就業し、よりよい賃金が保障される仕事に就くことは依然として難しい状況にあることが示唆された。ここから、ワークライフバランス政策がターゲットする対象を再考するなどの政策的な対応の必要性が示唆された。