Factors Facilitating Japanese Married Women Entering the Labour Force

This article evaluates factors that facilitate Japanese married women's entrance into the labour force. Logistic multiple regression analyses of a national representative sample revealed six significant factors: Japanese married women eagerly seek employment outside the home who co-reside with their mother-in-law; whose youngest child is 0—10 years old; whose husband's annual income is low; whose husband is non-salaried; who reside in small communities; or who possess liberal attitudes towards traditional marital roles. Working outside the home is an effective strategy adopted by married women in traditional intergenerational families to reduce conflict with in-laws, particularly the mother-in-law. In future studies, the authors hope to analyse the event history of longitudinal data to pinpoint causes of labour force participation of Japanese married women across communities.