ABSTRACT

Standard works on the employment systems of Japanese companies deal almost exclusively with men. Women, however, constitute the vast majority of the low wage, highly flexible "non-core" employees.
This book breaks new ground in examining the role of Japanese women in industry. It assesses the extent to which growing pressure for equal opportunities between the sexes has caused Japanese companies to adapt their employment and personnel management practices in recent years.
The author puts the argument in an historical perspective, covering the employment of Japanese women from the start of Japan's industrialisation up to the turning point of the 1986 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Law. She examines the background and execution of the legislation and she looks at the response of the business community. In her case study of the Seibu department store, which takes up the final part of the book, Lam concludes that the EEO Law has not had the desired effect.

part |24 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|22 pages

Introduction and background

part 1|62 pages

Discrimination against women in employment

chapter 2|18 pages

Internal labour markets and discrimination

chapter 3|23 pages

Sexual inequality in the Japanese employment system

Discriminatory company practices

chapter 4|19 pages

The emerging situation

Changing company practice in response to market pressures

part 2|54 pages

Legislation and reform

chapter 6|24 pages

The management response

part 3|77 pages

A case study

chapter 7|12 pages

The Seibu case

An introduction

chapter 8|30 pages

The Seibu case

Changing company practice

chapter 9|33 pages

Changing roles and attitudes of Seibu women

Towards equal opportunity?

part 4|22 pages

Conclusions

chapter 10|20 pages

Equal employment for women in the Japanese employment system

Limitations and obstacles