Women's Employment in Japan

The low status accorded to part-time workers in Japan has resulted in huge inequalities in the workplace. This book examines the problem in-depth using case-study investigations in Japanese workplaces and reveals the extent of the inequality. It shows how many part-time workers most of whom are women are concentrated in low paid low skilled poorly unionised service sector jobs. Part-time workers in Japan work hours equivalent to or greater than full-time workers but receive lower financial and welfare benefits than their full-time colleagues. Overall the book demonstrates that the way part-time work is constructed in Japan reinforces and institutionalises the sexual division of labour.