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Family Creating Inequality

- a quantitative analysis of gender gap in post-divorce life
TANAKA Sigeto <http://www.sal.tohoku.ac.jp/~tsigeto/>
(Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University)
Tohoku University Global COE International Seminar 2009 — Gender Equality in Multicultural Societies: Gender, Diversity and Conviviality in the Age of Globalization (2010-08-04)
Date: 2009-08-04
Location: Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
ReMCat: {2009:qfam:090804}

Full-text PDF file


Abstract

This presentation focuses on the gender difference in post-divorce life in contemporary Japan. The data are drawn from the National Family Research of Japan (NFRJ) project, which is a series of surveys using probability samples across Japan conducted by the Japan Society of Family Sociology. The main focus is on the gender effect on equivalent household income among divorced people. Results indicate strong negative effect of two variables: (1) presence of young children and (2) discontinuous occupational career due to childbirth or childrearing. These are the two main factors in the low standard of living for divorced women. The results thus show that the family process has created gender inequality and the family law/policy has failed to remove the inequality. Further discussion arises as to two topics: (1) formulation of the law/policy aiming at gender equality from the viewpoint of distributive justice; and (2) implications of our findings for sociological research on the power structure within family.

Keywords

equality of opportunity, remarriage, full-time regular employee, financial provision on divorce

Table of contents

  1. Gender and Distributive Justice
  2. Data
  3. Marital Experience and Equivalent Household Income
  4. Factors of the Economic Gender Gap in Post-Divorce Life
  5. Discussion

List of Tables

References

Reference list includes kanji titles and names that would otherwise be difficult to identify. In triangle brackets < > are ISBN, ISSN, URL, or NCID (see http://webcat.nii.ac.jp). [J] is for Japanese literature.

Acknowledgement

The data for this secondary analysis, National Family Research of Japan 2003 (NFRJ03) by the NFRJ Committee, Japan Society of Family Sociology, was provided by the Social Science Japan Data Archive, Information Center for Social Science Research on Japan, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo.


Related sites and pages


Tohoku University / Faculty of Arts and Letters / Applied Japanese Linguistics / TANAKA Sigeto / Family Change in an Aging Society with Low Fertility


Copyright (c) 2010 TANAKA Sigeto

Address: http://www.sal.tohoku.ac.jp/~tsigeto/office.html

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