Inequality and the Work–Family Dilemma in Japan

How do working mothers in Japan experience the tension between employment and child-rearing? Drawing on in-depth interviews with 55 working mothers, this book offers a compelling account of women’s struggles under “neoliberal motherhood” in contemporary Japan. By comparing university-educated and non-university-educated women, it reveals subtle yet consequential class-based differences in how mothers balance childcare, housework, and paid work.

The book shows how motherhood ideologies, economic constraints, unequal spousal support, workplace norms and practices, intersect to shape women’s everyday lives. In particular, it brings into focus the often-overlooked challenges faced by non-university-educated women and by situating these experiences within Japan’s strong child-centered ideology, the book examines how mothers navigate pervasive expectations of intensive mothering and develop strategies to cope with them. In doing so, it reframes what are often seen as individual struggles as structurally produced inequalities.