Why Does Japanese Fertility Remain So Low? Lessons from a Misguided Policy Approach.

Japanese government policies to increase mothers’ labor force participation and simultaneously raise the country’s very low birth rate have met with mixed success. Meanwhile, gender inequality in Japan has remained higher than in nearly every other postindustrial country. Why? In this talk I offer an analysis of the underlying issues that Japanese government reforms have so far failed to address.

Mary Brinton is the Reischauer Institute Professor of Sociology and Director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University.

Co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology and the International Studies Program.

This event is a part of the East Asian Studies Speaker Series. Each semester, the East Asian Studies Program invites several prominent scholars from a variety of disciplines to present research talks. We welcome faculty, graduate students, undergraduates, and others to join us for these talks. This semester, all talks will be in person (although the location will vary).