Gendered Xenophobia? Gendered Interpretation of Immigration and Labor Market Vulnerability

Abstract

Why do women tend to oppose immigration more than men? I argue that this opposition to immigration is caused by women’s labor market vulnerabilities. As immigrants increasingly enter sectors traditionally dominated by women, non-immigrant women may perceive immigrants as a threat. Drawing on two original surveys with embedded experiments conducted on nationally representative samples in Japan, I find that information emphasizing the economic necessity of immigrants increases favorability toward immigrants among Japanese men but not women. Japanese women, especially those in non-professional jobs, show increased hostility toward immigrant women when exposed to such information. These findings highlight the importance of considering the interplay between gender and labor market position in shaping immigration attitudes. This research contributes to the literature on the political economy of immigration and gender politics and underscores the need for gender-sensitive approaches in immigration policymaking, particularly in countries with persistent gender inequalities.