Female Entrepreneurs and Corporate Society in Japan – a Preliminary Study

• In Event: 082 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session I
  In Refereed Roundtable: A. Table 21. International Economic Sociology II

Abstract

It has been almost 30 years since the Equal Employment Opportunity Law (EEOL) was enacted in Japan in 1986. However, women have failed to advance in significant areas of Japanese society such as economy and politics, and Japan has been advised by international organizations including OECD and IMF to catch up with many other countries which have achieved, or improved, gender equality in their society (OECD, 2012). Almost 90% of working people are employed in Japan, however, it would be informative to look at women who “don’t belong to” “corporate society”, to identify any breakthroughs for women. To understand the overall and current situation of female entrepreneurs, this paper examines and analyzes data prepared by the government and discusses how female entrepreneurs are situated in Japan’s “Corporate Society”. We found that characteristics and management styles of female entrepreneurs and their businesses differ from those of males in many ways. Although female entrepreneurs were expected to be the driving force to revive the Japanese economy, the number and percentage of women attempting to become entrepreneurs have decreased. Many studies have found that the advancement of women in the economy has not been achieved in Japan yet, and female entrepreneurs are no exception. I still believe, however, that female entrepreneurs have major potential to change the traditional labor market and society’s values and norms. They present different ways of thinking and career models for women. They will encourage other, latent female entrepreneurs.

Author

• Kuniko Ishiguro, Bunkyo Gakuin University