Date/Time
Date(s) - Fri 9 August
12:30 - 14:00
Location
RH105, Level 1, Rutherford House, VUW
Abstract
This study examines the causal effect of educational policy on people’s attitudes toward traditional gender roles through the study of a 1989 national educational reform in Japan in which home economics became a co-educational subject, having previously been taken only by girls. Using a regression discontinuity design and microdata from a Japanese time-use survey, we examined whether co-educational classes in home economics have increased husbands’ participation in domestic production. We found a sharp increase in both the amount and the share of the typical husband’s household production at the cutoff point (the cohort born in the 1977 academic year), indicating that husbands who had studied home economics in junior high school later contribute more to household production than those who did not. In addition, wives who had studied it together with boys work in the labor market more intensively than those who did not. This implies that by providing both men and women with a more equitable view of gender role divisions, co-education can lead to increased male participation in activities previously seen as women’s role and increased female participation in activities traditionally seen as men’s role. The study also validates the role of education in reshaping social norms.
About Hiromi Hara
Hiromi Hara is an associate professor of Economics at Japan Women’s University. Previously, she served as a vice researcher at the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (2003-2012). She received an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Tokyo. Her research field is labour economics, and her current research interest is in job training and gender differences.
Tea and Coffee will be provided prior to the start of the Seminar. RSVP is not required