On October 20, two female ministers in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet, Yuko Obuchi and Midori Matsushima, resigned over alleged improper use of campaign funds. Their resignations raise questions about the viability of one of the Prime Minister’s central social and economic policies: “womenomics.”
The essence of womenomics is to increase the number of women employed in high levels of government and business. The rationale is that more working women will translate into greater economic productivity and increased economic growth for demographically challenged Japan. The core tenets of the policy include an expansion of after-school programs for children and modifications to the tax code to favor working women over stay-at-home women. The Abe administration also set the goal of having 30 percent of all leading company positions held by women by the year 2020.
The fact that there are only four women in Abe’s cabinet, however, demonstrates the limitations any democratic government faces in forcing this sort of change. While the goal of allowing greater female participation in the Japanese workforce is a sensible one, artificial government mandates are not the right means of achieving it.
Even Japanese women are questioning the efficacy of the policy. Abe’s policies have placed women with families in a bind: “I’ve heard I may incur losses if I work beyond the benefit limits,” said Kaori Hori, a mother from Chiba Prefecture with two teenagers. Rather than increasing options for women, womenomics may be closing the door on women who want to stay at home. This could conflict with the Japanese government’s hope of reversing the country’s population declines. According to data from the Gender Equality Bureau, in 1970, the average number of children per Japanese family was above 2, and only a little more than half of Japanese women were in the labor force. Today, almost 70 percent of Japanese women are in the labor force, and the birthrate is well below replacement.
In an event at Heritage last year, Kosuke Motani of The Japan Research Institute focused on Japan’s demographics as a cause of Japan’s economic problems. He referenced the small working-age population. “Naturally, we are going to have this amount of decrease.” Lack of demand is the driving force, he said. “Many of [these companies] are not willing to hire more people.” But Motani put his finger on the problem with womenomics when he pointed to attitudes about women in the workforce: “Deregulation [is] needed in elder males’ minds, not in regulation.”
Prime Minister Abe cannot guarantee his ministers—women or men—will not run afoul of propriety and be forced to resign. He certainly cannot use government to enforce the reform of the mind. For the good of Japan’s economy and society, policy should focus on reducing barriers to workforce participation, not forcing outcomes.
Arthur Oaden is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please click here.