Research Article
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Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan

Year 2020, Volume: 20 Issue: 4, 319 - 331, 30.11.2020

Aysenur Aydınbakar

https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.772604

Abstract

This paper tests the effect of living arrangement on the probability of mothers’ employment
status in Japan using micro-data from a household survey. The analysis was conducted for
grandmothers by focusing on distinguishing between grandmother and in-law. The father being
the eldest son and the mother being the eldest daughter are used as instruments in bivariate
probit models. The findings show that co-residing or proximate-residing grandmother (-in-law)
increases the probability of mothers being in employment. That being said, Japanese mothers
still need to get help from grandmothers to work. Other important findings indicate that
mothers whose husbands are the eldest son tend to live with grandmother-in-law. This confirms
that the Japanese norm still stands in modern Japan.

Keywords

Living Arrangement Grandmothers Childcare Eldest Daughter Eldest Son Labor Force Japanese Norm

Thanks

I would like to thank Midori Wakabayashi, Kentaro Nakajima, Akira Hibiki, Yoko Ibuka, Colin McKenzie, Kei Sakata, Wataru Kureishi, Kıvılcım Metin Özcan, and two anonymous referees. I am grateful to the participants of Economics of the Family Workshop at Tohoku University in October 2017. I also thank National Family Research of Japan (NFRJ08) and the Information Center for Social Science Research on Japan, Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo (SSJ Data Archive) for providing micro-data from the 2008 National Family Survey (Kazoku ni tsuiteno Zenkoku Chousa)(0817). I am thankful to the Turkish Ministry of National Education for support.

References

  • Aassve, A., Arpino, B., & Goisis, A. (2012). Grandparenting and mothers’ labour force participation: A comparative analysis using the generations and gender survey. Demographic Research, 27:53.
  • Abe, S. (2017). Policy speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the 195th session of the diet. Retrieved from The Government of Japan, https://japan.kantei.go.jp/98_abe/statement/201711/ _00006.html.
  • Abendroth, A.K., Van der Lippe, T., & Maas, I. (2012). Social support and the working hours of employed mothers in Europe: The relevance of the state, the workplace, and the family. Social Science Research, 41(3), 581–597.
  • Albuquerque, P. & Passos, J. (2010). Grandparents and women's participation in the labor market. Working Paper No.16, School of Economics, Technical University of Lisbon.
  • Arpino, B., Pronzato, C. D., & Tavares, L. P. (2014). The effect of grandparental support on mothers’ labour market participation: An instrumental variable approach. European Journal of Population, 30(4), 369–390.
  • Asai, Y., Kambayashi, R., & Yamaguchi, S. (2015). Childcare availability, household structure, and maternal employment. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 38, 172–192.
  • Baum, C. F. (2006). An introduction to modern econometrics using Stata. Stata press.
  • Compton, J. (2015). Family proximity and the labor force status of women in Canada. Review of Economics of the Household, 13(2), 323–358.
  • Compton, J. & Pollak, R. A. (2014). Family proximity, childcare, and women’s labor force attachment. Journal of Urban Economics, 79, 72–90.
  • Dale, C. & Holdsworth, A. (1998). Working mothers in Great Britain and Spain: A preliminary analysis. Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research.
  • Del Boca, D. (2002). The effect of child care and part time opportunities on participation and fertility decisions in Italy. Journal of Population Economics, 15(3), 549–573.
  • Dimova, R., & Wolff, F. C. (2008). Grandchild care transfers by ageing immigrants in France: Intra- household allocation and labour market implications. European Journal of Population/Revue européenne de Démographie, 24(3), 315–340.
  • Dimova, R., & Wolff, F. C. (2011). Do downward private transfers enhance maternal labor supply? Evidence from around Europe. Journal of Population Economics, 24(3), 911– 933.
  • Du, F., Dong, X. Y., & Zhang, Y. (2019). grandparent-provided childcare and labor force participation of mothers with preschool children in urban China. China Population and Development Studies, 2(4), 347-368.
  • Floge, L. (1989). Changing household structure, child-care availability, and employment among mothers of preschool children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51(1), 51– 63.
  • Fukai, T. (2017). Childcare availability and fertility: Evidence from municipalities in Japan. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 43, 1–18.
  • Garcia-Moran, E., & Kuehn, Z. (2017). With strings attached: Grandparent-provided child care and female labor market outcomes. Review of Economic Dynamics, 23, 80–98.
  • Greene, W. H. (2003). Econometric analysis. Pearson Education India.
  • Japan Revitalization Strategy (2014). Japan revitalization strategy (revised in 2014)- Japan’s challenge for the future. Retrieved from The Government of Japan, http://www.kantei.go. jp/jp/singi/keizaisaisei/pdf/honbunEN.pdf.
  • Kenjoh, E. (2005). New mothers’ employment and public policy in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Japan. Labour, 19, 5–49.
  • Kojima, H. (1993). Sibling configuration and coresidence of married couples with an older mother in Japan. International Journal of Japanese Sociology, 2(1),1–16.
  • Kumagai, F. (2015). Demographic changes in japan. In Family Issues on Marriage, Divorce, and Older Adults in Japan, 11–38. Springer.
  • Kumagai, F., & Kato, A. (2007). Factors facilitating Japanese married women entering the labour force. Current Sociology, 55(4), 561–577.
  • Kureishi, W. and Wakabayashi, M. (2010). Why do first-born children live together with parents? Japan and the World Economy, 22(3), 159–172.
  • Landmann, A., Seitz, H., & Steiner, S. (2017). Patrilocal residence and female labour supply (No. 10890). Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  • Li, Y. (2017). The effects of formal and informal child care on the mother's labor supply— Evidence from urban China. China Economic Review, 44, 227-240.
  • Mano, Y., & Yamamura, E. (2011). Effects of husband’s education and family structure on labor force participation and married Japanese women’s earnings. Japanese Economy, 38(3), 71–91.
  • Martin, L. G., & Tsuya, N. O. (1991). Interactions of middle-aged Japanese with their parents. Population Studies, 45(2), 299–311.
  • Maurer-Fazio, M., Connelly, R., Chen, L., & Tang, L. (2011). Childcare, eldercare, and labor force participation of married women in urban China, 1982–2000. Journal of Human Resources, 46(2), 261–294.
  • Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2007). Sixth Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21st Century. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/database/db-hw/newborns6th/index.html Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2016). Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/database/db-hss/cslc-report2016.html
  • Morgan, S. P., & Hirosima, K. (1983). The persistence of extended family residence in Japan: Anachronism or alternative strategy? American Sociological Review, 269–281.
  • Nagase, N. (1997). Wage differentials and labour supply of married women in Japan: Part-time and informal sector work opportunities. The Japanese Economic Review, 48(1), 29–42.
  • Nakamura, J., & Ueda, A. (1999). On the determinants of career interruption by childbirth among married women in Japan. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 13(1), 73–89.
  • OECD (2015). OECD Family Database. https://www.oecd.org/els/family/SF_1_1_Family_ size_and_composition.pdf
  • Ogawa, N., & Ermisch, J. F. (1996). Family structure, home time demands, and the employment patterns of japanese married women. Journal of Labor Economics, 14(4), 677–702.
  • Oishi, A. S., & Oshio, T. (2006). Coresidence with parents and a wife’s decision to work in Japan. The Japanese Journal of Social Security Policy, 5(1), 35–48.
  • Pagani, L., & Marenzi, A. (2008). The labor market participation of sandwich generation Italian women. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 29(3), 427–444.
  • Posadas, J., & Vidal-Fernández, M. (2013). Grandparents’ childcare and female labor force participation. IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 2(1), 1-14.
  • Raymo, J. M., Mencarini, L., Iwasawa, M., & Moriizumi, R. (2010). Intergenerational proximity and the fertility intentions of married women: A Japan-Italy comparison. Asian Population Studies, 6(2), 193–214.
  • Retherford, R., & Ogawa, N. (2006). “Japan’s baby bust: Causes, implications, and policy responses,” in F. R. Harris (ed.), The Baby Bust. Who Will Do the Work? Who Will Pay the Taxes? Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 5–47.
  • Sasaki, M. (2002). The causal effect of family structure on labor force participation among Japanese married women. Journal of Human Resources, 37(2), 429–440.
  • Shen, K., Yan, P., & Zeng, Y. (2016). Coresidence with elderly parents and female labor supply in China. Demographic Research, 35(23), 645–670.
  • Tsuya, N. O., Bumpass, L. L., & Choe, M. K. (2000). Gender, employment, and housework in Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Review of Population and Social Policy, 9, 195–220.
  • Wakabayashi, M., & Horioka, C. Y. (2009). Is the eldest son different? The residential choice of siblings in Japan. Japan and the World Economy, 21(4), 337–348.
  • Wooldridge, J. M. (2010). Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data. The MIT Press.
  • Yamada, K. (2006). Intra-family transfers in japan: Intergenerational co-residence, distance, and contact. Applied Economics, 38(16), 1839–1861.
  • Yang, C., Fu, H., & Li, L. (2016). The effect of family structure on female labor participation: Empirical analysis based on the 2011 China health and retirement longitudinal study. Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 10, 21–33.
  • Zamarro, G. (2011). Family labor participation and child care decisions: The role of grannies. RAND Working Paper Series WR- 833.

Year 2020, Volume: 20 Issue: 4, 319 - 331, 30.11.2020

Aysenur Aydınbakar

https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.772604

Abstract

References

  • Aassve, A., Arpino, B., & Goisis, A. (2012). Grandparenting and mothers’ labour force participation: A comparative analysis using the generations and gender survey. Demographic Research, 27:53.
  • Abe, S. (2017). Policy speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the 195th session of the diet. Retrieved from The Government of Japan, https://japan.kantei.go.jp/98_abe/statement/201711/ _00006.html.
  • Abendroth, A.K., Van der Lippe, T., & Maas, I. (2012). Social support and the working hours of employed mothers in Europe: The relevance of the state, the workplace, and the family. Social Science Research, 41(3), 581–597.
  • Albuquerque, P. & Passos, J. (2010). Grandparents and women's participation in the labor market. Working Paper No.16, School of Economics, Technical University of Lisbon.
  • Arpino, B., Pronzato, C. D., & Tavares, L. P. (2014). The effect of grandparental support on mothers’ labour market participation: An instrumental variable approach. European Journal of Population, 30(4), 369–390.
  • Asai, Y., Kambayashi, R., & Yamaguchi, S. (2015). Childcare availability, household structure, and maternal employment. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 38, 172–192.
  • Baum, C. F. (2006). An introduction to modern econometrics using Stata. Stata press.
  • Compton, J. (2015). Family proximity and the labor force status of women in Canada. Review of Economics of the Household, 13(2), 323–358.
  • Compton, J. & Pollak, R. A. (2014). Family proximity, childcare, and women’s labor force attachment. Journal of Urban Economics, 79, 72–90.
  • Dale, C. & Holdsworth, A. (1998). Working mothers in Great Britain and Spain: A preliminary analysis. Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research.
  • Del Boca, D. (2002). The effect of child care and part time opportunities on participation and fertility decisions in Italy. Journal of Population Economics, 15(3), 549–573.
  • Dimova, R., & Wolff, F. C. (2008). Grandchild care transfers by ageing immigrants in France: Intra- household allocation and labour market implications. European Journal of Population/Revue européenne de Démographie, 24(3), 315–340.
  • Dimova, R., & Wolff, F. C. (2011). Do downward private transfers enhance maternal labor supply? Evidence from around Europe. Journal of Population Economics, 24(3), 911– 933.
  • Du, F., Dong, X. Y., & Zhang, Y. (2019). grandparent-provided childcare and labor force participation of mothers with preschool children in urban China. China Population and Development Studies, 2(4), 347-368.
  • Floge, L. (1989). Changing household structure, child-care availability, and employment among mothers of preschool children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51(1), 51– 63.
  • Fukai, T. (2017). Childcare availability and fertility: Evidence from municipalities in Japan. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 43, 1–18.
  • Garcia-Moran, E., & Kuehn, Z. (2017). With strings attached: Grandparent-provided child care and female labor market outcomes. Review of Economic Dynamics, 23, 80–98.
  • Greene, W. H. (2003). Econometric analysis. Pearson Education India.
  • Japan Revitalization Strategy (2014). Japan revitalization strategy (revised in 2014)- Japan’s challenge for the future. Retrieved from The Government of Japan, http://www.kantei.go. jp/jp/singi/keizaisaisei/pdf/honbunEN.pdf.
  • Kenjoh, E. (2005). New mothers’ employment and public policy in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Japan. Labour, 19, 5–49.
  • Kojima, H. (1993). Sibling configuration and coresidence of married couples with an older mother in Japan. International Journal of Japanese Sociology, 2(1),1–16.
  • Kumagai, F. (2015). Demographic changes in japan. In Family Issues on Marriage, Divorce, and Older Adults in Japan, 11–38. Springer.
  • Kumagai, F., & Kato, A. (2007). Factors facilitating Japanese married women entering the labour force. Current Sociology, 55(4), 561–577.
  • Kureishi, W. and Wakabayashi, M. (2010). Why do first-born children live together with parents? Japan and the World Economy, 22(3), 159–172.
  • Landmann, A., Seitz, H., & Steiner, S. (2017). Patrilocal residence and female labour supply (No. 10890). Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  • Li, Y. (2017). The effects of formal and informal child care on the mother's labor supply— Evidence from urban China. China Economic Review, 44, 227-240.
  • Mano, Y., & Yamamura, E. (2011). Effects of husband’s education and family structure on labor force participation and married Japanese women’s earnings. Japanese Economy, 38(3), 71–91.
  • Martin, L. G., & Tsuya, N. O. (1991). Interactions of middle-aged Japanese with their parents. Population Studies, 45(2), 299–311.
  • Maurer-Fazio, M., Connelly, R., Chen, L., & Tang, L. (2011). Childcare, eldercare, and labor force participation of married women in urban China, 1982–2000. Journal of Human Resources, 46(2), 261–294.
  • Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2007). Sixth Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21st Century. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/database/db-hw/newborns6th/index.html Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2016). Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/database/db-hss/cslc-report2016.html
  • Morgan, S. P., & Hirosima, K. (1983). The persistence of extended family residence in Japan: Anachronism or alternative strategy? American Sociological Review, 269–281.
  • Nagase, N. (1997). Wage differentials and labour supply of married women in Japan: Part-time and informal sector work opportunities. The Japanese Economic Review, 48(1), 29–42.
  • Nakamura, J., & Ueda, A. (1999). On the determinants of career interruption by childbirth among married women in Japan. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 13(1), 73–89.
  • OECD (2015). OECD Family Database. https://www.oecd.org/els/family/SF_1_1_Family_ size_and_composition.pdf
  • Ogawa, N., & Ermisch, J. F. (1996). Family structure, home time demands, and the employment patterns of japanese married women. Journal of Labor Economics, 14(4), 677–702.
  • Oishi, A. S., & Oshio, T. (2006). Coresidence with parents and a wife’s decision to work in Japan. The Japanese Journal of Social Security Policy, 5(1), 35–48.
  • Pagani, L., & Marenzi, A. (2008). The labor market participation of sandwich generation Italian women. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 29(3), 427–444.
  • Posadas, J., & Vidal-Fernández, M. (2013). Grandparents’ childcare and female labor force participation. IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 2(1), 1-14.
  • Raymo, J. M., Mencarini, L., Iwasawa, M., & Moriizumi, R. (2010). Intergenerational proximity and the fertility intentions of married women: A Japan-Italy comparison. Asian Population Studies, 6(2), 193–214.
  • Retherford, R., & Ogawa, N. (2006). “Japan’s baby bust: Causes, implications, and policy responses,” in F. R. Harris (ed.), The Baby Bust. Who Will Do the Work? Who Will Pay the Taxes? Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 5–47.
  • Sasaki, M. (2002). The causal effect of family structure on labor force participation among Japanese married women. Journal of Human Resources, 37(2), 429–440.
  • Shen, K., Yan, P., & Zeng, Y. (2016). Coresidence with elderly parents and female labor supply in China. Demographic Research, 35(23), 645–670.
  • Tsuya, N. O., Bumpass, L. L., & Choe, M. K. (2000). Gender, employment, and housework in Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Review of Population and Social Policy, 9, 195–220.
  • Wakabayashi, M., & Horioka, C. Y. (2009). Is the eldest son different? The residential choice of siblings in Japan. Japan and the World Economy, 21(4), 337–348.
  • Wooldridge, J. M. (2010). Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data. The MIT Press.
  • Yamada, K. (2006). Intra-family transfers in japan: Intergenerational co-residence, distance, and contact. Applied Economics, 38(16), 1839–1861.
  • Yang, C., Fu, H., & Li, L. (2016). The effect of family structure on female labor participation: Empirical analysis based on the 2011 China health and retirement longitudinal study. Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 10, 21–33.
  • Zamarro, G. (2011). Family labor participation and child care decisions: The role of grannies. RAND Working Paper Series WR- 833.
There are 48 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Economics
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Aysenur Aydınbakar 0000-0003-2885-7199

Publication Date November 30, 2020
Acceptance Date September 22, 2020
Published in Issue Year 2020 Volume: 20 Issue: 4

Cite

APA Aydınbakar, A. (2020). Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan. Ege Academic Review, 20(4), 319-331. https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.772604
AMA Aydınbakar A. Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan. ear. November 2020;20(4):319-331. doi:10.21121/eab.772604
Chicago Aydınbakar, Aysenur. “Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan”. Ege Academic Review 20, no. 4 (November 2020): 319-31. https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.772604.
EndNote Aydınbakar A (November 1, 2020) Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan. Ege Academic Review 20 4 319–331.
IEEE A. Aydınbakar, “Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan”, ear, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 319–331, 2020, doi: 10.21121/eab.772604.
ISNAD Aydınbakar, Aysenur. “Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan”. Ege Academic Review 20/4 (November 2020), 319-331. https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.772604.
JAMA Aydınbakar A. Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan. ear. 2020;20:319–331.
MLA Aydınbakar, Aysenur. “Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan”. Ege Academic Review, vol. 20, no. 4, 2020, pp. 319-31, doi:10.21121/eab.772604.
Vancouver Aydınbakar A. Living Arrangement and Mothers’ Employment in Japan. ear. 2020;20(4):319-31.
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