Changing egalitarianism? Attitudes regarding income and gender equality in contemporary Japan
Titel:
Changing egalitarianism? Attitudes regarding income and gender equality in contemporary Japan
Auteur:
Chiavacci, David
Verschenen in:
Japan forum
Paginering:
Jaargang 17 (2005) nr. 1 pagina's 107-131
Jaar:
2005-03-01
Inhoud:
Attitudes concerning social equality in Japan have two completely different sides. An equal income distribution is far more strongly supported in Japan than in any other advanced industrialized nation, but support for gender equality regarding family roles and the labor market is clearly weaker than in Western societies. However, in recent years, the appropriate level of income inequality has become a public issue in Japan and support for traditional gender divisions of labor in the family, with women confined to the role of housewife and mother, is weakening. This article tries to gain some further insight into the evaluation of equality in contemporary Japan on the basis of structured, problem-centred interviews with young elite university graduates who joined foreign-affiliated companies (FACs), which have experienced a sudden surge in popularity as employers among top university graduates in the second half of the 1990s. The case of FACs and their boom is of special interest regarding income and gender equality attitudes, as FACs are said to have far more performance-related pay and a different promotion system, as well as to offer much better career possibilities for women in comparison to Japanese firms.
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