The Reproductive Bargain ─ Deciphering the Enigma of Japanese Capitalism

Japan's postwar economic growth depended in large part upon the reproductive bargain.' In this system of employment male breadwinners were expected to work long hours in exchange for benefits and relatively secure jobs, while relying on women's unpaid reproductive labor in the family. Such institutionalized relationships, formerly the engines of growth and stability, now drag economic expansion and employment security.

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