The Reproductive Bargain: Deciphering the Enigma of Japanese Capitalism

The Reproductive Bargain argues that neither Japan’s postwar economic growth, nor its subsequent long stretch of stagnation can be understood without reference to it ‘reproductive bargain.’ Under the terms of this bargain a standard employment relationship was established where in male breadwinners were granted generous benefits at relatively secure jobs in exchange for long working hours. Yet this arrangement relies on the unpaid reproductive labor of women within the family, and, increasingly, pushes women’s waged work into nonstandard jobs. Such institutionalized relationships, formerly the engines of growth and stability, now drag economic expansion and employment security. Gottfried’s groundbreaking research shows us that gendering institutional analysis is a key to deciphering the enigma of Japanese capitalism.

Heidi Gottfried, Associate Professor of Sociology, Wayne State University. She has published several books and articles on gender and work transformation, including: Gender, Work and Economy: Unpacking the Global Economy; and co-edited Gendering the Knowledge Economy; Equity in the Workplace