Equal employment opportunity, work–life balance and corporate performance in Japan

Gender gaps in labour market status, measured in terms of wages, labour force participation rates, the proportion of non-regular workers and the proportion of managers, are quite large in Japan. Two types of policies are implemented in order to reduce the gender gap – Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policy and Work–Life Balance (WLB) policy. The EEO policy prohibits gender discrimination and promotes female workers, and the WLB policy strives to harmonize work and family life.