Professor Hiromi Hara of Meiji University and Professor Nuria Rodríguez-Planas of the City University of New York argue that co-education of "technical and household" subjects will change the division of roles in the household finances for couples in their late 30s. revealed that it had an impact on
Japan has a large wage gap between men and women. Factors that are attracting attention include the disadvantages in the labor market due to raising children and the influence of traditional gender roles such as ``men should work outside the home and women should take care of the home.''
On the other hand, "Technology/Home Economics", a subject taught in junior high schools, consists of technology and home economics, and was taught separately for boys and girls until 1989. However, due to revisions to the new curriculum guidelines, it became co-educational for men and women starting in 1990 (as of 2016, students aged 40 and over were enrolled separately, and those aged 39 and younger enrolled jointly).
The research team applied a regression discontinuity design (RD design), an analytical framework that can identify the causal effects of policy interventions, to analyze the impact of coeducation on the division of roles between men and women.
As a result, due to co-education, the time spent by adult men (husbands) on weekend housework has increased, while the proportion of women (wives) working as non-regular employees has decreased, while the proportion of those working as full-time employees has decreased. It was shown that there was an increase. Furthermore, it was also shown that the proportion of women (wives) who agree with traditional gender roles has decreased.
It is believed that due to co-education, both men and women have come to accept that housework and childcare are the roles of both men and women, and as a result, men have increased their time related to housework, and women have become more active in the labor market.
This research suggests that if school education provides education and activities that make students aware that social roles differ depending on gender, this will influence their decision-making and behavioral choices later in life. It is intended to demonstrate the importance of promoting gender equality in school education.
Paper information:[Journal of Labor Economics] Long-Term Consequences of Teaching Gender Roles: Evidence from Desegregating Industrial Arts and Home Economics in Japan
