The political economy of Japan's low fertility / Frances McCall Rosenbluth

Introduction and overview. The political economy of low fertility / Frances McCall Rosenbluth ; Women's economic status and fertility: Japan in cross-national perspective / Sawako Shirahase
Constraints on the demand for female labor. Gendering the varieties of capitalism: gender bias in skills and social policy / Margarita Estévez Abe ; Gendered offices: a comparative-historical examination of clerical work in Japan and the United States / Mary C. Brinton ; Employment options: Japan in comparative perspective / Eiko Kenjoh
Constraints on women's supply of labor. Policies to support working mothers and children in Japan / Patricia Boling ; The political economy of daycare centers in Japan / Junichiro Wada ; The privatized education market and maternal employment in Japan / Keiko Hirao
Conclusions and prescriptions. Conclusion / Frances McCall Rosenbluth

This study takes an interdisciplinary approach to one of Japan's thorniest public policy issues: why are women increasingly foregoing motherhood? The authors argue that the combination of an inhospitable labour market for women and insufficient support for childcare pushes women toward working harder to promote their careers, to the detriment of childbearing. The book provides policy recommendations for solving not just Japan's fertility issue, but those of other modern democracies facing a similar crisis