Marriage, Childbirth and Labor Participation: Contrasting Patterns in East Asia
Nobuko Nagase
Ochanomizu University
nagase.nobuko@ocha.ac.jp

The paper will revisit Ochanomizu University conducted F-GENS Panel Survey to compare
work and family in Beijing, Seoul and Japan. The purpose of this study is to contrast work and family
in Beijing and Seoul to Japan. I also intend to make follow up to recent years using publicly available
data.
In 2003, Ochanomizu University’s “Frontiers of Gender Studies(F-GENS)” was selected by
the Ministry of Education and Science of Japan to receive a large scale grant establishing it as a COE(Center of Excellence).

Among different projects extending to different disciplines concerning

studies of gender, the project selected Beijing and Seoul, two East Asian economies to compare withJapan, concerning family, work, household budgeting, consumption and time use.
In Beijing, 128 residential committee were selected from the central eight districts (whichis now the central six districts), and males and females age 25 to 54, 2550 respondents were surveyed,and followed up for four years from June to August. Even though there are publicly available panel
survey in China today, in 2004 our panel data must have been the very first to be conducted in Beijing.
The survey was conducted by Renmin University Applied Statistics Center. The principal investigator
was Prof. Nobuko Nagase. The follow up rate was over 90 percent each year.

The survey wasconducted a few years before Beijing Olympics. I visited Beijing every year, and the change and thegrowth of the city was clear. The increase in the income level was also clear and evident in oursurvey.
For Seoul, 25 to 44 males and females were surveyed with 1709 respondents for the firstyear. The Survey was conducted by Hankok Research. The principal investigator was Prof. MichikoMifune.

Nagase (2012) compared the two cities with Tokyo using National Fertility Survey of 2002.
Seoul showed striking similarity with Tokyo, that around 80 percent of women in each generation
surveyed were found to be out of labor market at the first childbirth, and that income gap between
males and females were huge. Wives not working were well recognized pattern of living in bothcountries. On the other hand, in Beijing, the older women respondents replied that they had worked
through out their life, including the time after their childbirth, but the younger generation, especiallythe less educated ones was found to be out of labor force after having the first child.

In Beijing, childcare was becoming more privatized. However, even once out of labor force, return to labor market
was much quicker in Beijing compared with Tokyo or Seoul.
Recently we see different trend emerging in Japan. Nagase（2014）using Longitudinal Surveyof Adults of 21st Century of Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found that more new mothers startedto combine work and childbirth after 2009. Nagase (2017a, b) found even greater growth of newmothers to work continue after 2013 using Labor Force Survey.
For Japan, Longitudinal Survey of Adults of 21st Century of Ministry of Health, Labor andWelfare will be used, and the change will be compared with Beijing and Soeul.

Nagase, Nobuko (2012) “Labor Supply and Child Care following the First Child Birth in Japan,”
Journal of Population Problem Vol.68 No.3 pp.64-88 (in Japanese)
Nagase, Nobuko (2014) “The Effect of a Short-Hour Option Mandate on First Childbirth, BirthIntention and Work Continuation after Childbirth : Evidence from Japan”, Jinkogaku Kenkyu (TheJournal of Population Studies) Vol. 37 No.1 29-53(in Japanese).
Nagase, Nobuko (2017a) “2002-2015nen no Josei Shugyoritu no Henka: Abenomics no Koka haattaka? (Has Abenomics Worked for Female Employment?)”, Tokei 2017 February ( in Japanese).
Nagase, Nobuko (2017b) “Has Abe’s WOMANOMICS worked?” Prepared for Asian Economic
Policy Review Conference on April 8th 2017