Analisis Kebijakan Womenomics terhadap Ketenagakerjaan Perempuan di Jepang (2020–2024)

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of the Womenomics policy, a structural initiative launched by Japan in 2012, in transforming the structure of women's employment during the 2020–2024 period. The issue addressed is how Womenomics has affected women's labor force participation, employment type, promotion opportunities, and the structural factors shaping women's employment in Japan. This study employs a qualitative descriptive method based on document analysis of secondary data from the Statistics Bureau of Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, the OECD, and the World Economic Forum, analyzed through the frameworks of Liberal Feminism (Betty Friedan) and The Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith). The findings show that Womenomics succeeded quantitatively, with women's labor force participation exceeding the 73% target in 2023, but this was not accompanied by an equivalent qualitative transformation: 52.1% of female workers remain in non-regular employment, managerial representation has only reached 13.5% against a 30% target, and the gender wage gap has narrowed only from 24.5% to 21.8%. This study concludes that Womenomics is effective in the quantitative dimension but remains limited in the qualitative dimension, as formal policy change alone has not been sufficient to transform deeper social norms and patriarchal structures. This study recommends strengthening more binding policy enforcement mechanisms and reforming work culture to achieve substantive economic equality for women.