ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers the low status of women in Japan in the context of neoliberal reform and argues for social change to create an economy in which care is given a high value. It discusses the domestic labour debate in Japan, showing that it originated before translation of Western debates on this topic, and argues that by displacing the patriarchal concept of labour it empowered women. The book compares gender gaps in Japan with those in Mexico, arguing that economic growth does not automatically reduce gender gaps, and that specific policies are required. It contextualises the position of Japan in the intersections of gender and class inequality in developed economies. The book focuses on the application of a ‘gender lens’ to rising economic inequalities under neoliberal capitalism and discusses the crisis of social reproduction in Japan.
