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COVID-19 and the employment gender gap in Japan

Author

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  • Fukai, Taiyo
  • Ikeda, Masato
  • Kawaguchi, Daiji
  • Yamaguchi, Shintaro

Abstract

This paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected female employment in Japan. Our estimates indicate that the employment rate of married women with children decreased by 3.5 percentage points, while that of those without children decreased by only 0.3 percentage points, implying that increased childcare responsibilities caused a sharp decline in mothers’ employment. Further, mothers who left or lost their jobs appear to have dropped out of the labor force even several months after school reopening. In contrast to women, the employment rate of married men with children was not affected, which hindered progress in narrowing the employment gender gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Fukai, Taiyo & Ikeda, Masato & Kawaguchi, Daiji & Yamaguchi, Shintaro, 2023. "COVID-19 and the employment gender gap in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jjieco:v:68:y:2023:i:c:s0889158323000114
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jjie.2023.101256
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Kuroda, Sachiko & Onishi, Koichiro, 2025. "Digital labor platform under the boom and bust: Bank account data insights," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Chihiro Inoue & Yusuke Ishihata & Shintaro Yamaguchi, 2024. "Working from home leads to more family-oriented men," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 783-829, June.
    5. Anqi Li & Shiko Maruyama, 2024. "Who suffered most in the pandemic? A distribution regression analysis of happiness in Japan," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 75(4), pages 637-690, December.
    6. Fukuda, Akira & Yamamoto, Isamu, 2025. "Ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of zombie firms arising from the EAS program during the COVID-19 pandemic: A study of Japanese SMEs," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    7. Ji, Yuemei & Qi, Weiwen, 2025. "The motherhood penalty in employment: Evidence from UK Asian mothers during the pandemic," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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