Sexual Bias in the Nenko System of Employment

Abstract

The nenko system, a lifetime employment and seniority-based wage system, has been considered one of the major contributing factors to the high labour productivity and loyalty in the industrial expansion of Japan during the past three decades. During this period, the female labour force has comprised a large proportion of the total labour force. Women's wages and working con ditions, however, have been consistently and substantially inferior to those of men.

The nenko system has provided periodical promotions and lifetime em ployment security to employees while assuring employers of a long-term supply of skilled workers and a dependable labour force. It has, on the other hand, been the most fundamental cause of discrimination against women. It has virtually excluded women from permanent, high-paying, highly skilled and high- responsibility positions in the labour market. Women have been utilised as a buffer and stabiliser to maintain a stable economy and employment for permanent employees, most of whom have traditionally been males.