In this study, I attempted to quantitatively evaluate the extent to which single mothers’ regular employment was associated with household economic independence. To accomplish this goal, I employed the statistical technique called propensity score matching method, which was able to control for the observed heterogeneity between regular and non-regular employees. The analysis revealed that regular employment raised the hourly wages of single mothers by 32.0% and reduced the relative poverty and in-work poverty rates, meaning that the equivalent household income and single mother’s personal income fell below the poverty line by 36.5% and 39.5%, respectively. However, there were clearly educational gradients in the effects of regular employment, with the effect of regular employment on wages and in-work poverty rates being smaller for the less educated. My findings revealed that more than half of the single mothers with non-university degrees were unable to escape poverty on their income alone, even if they had achieved regular employment.
Based on the results of these statistical analyses, I learned that from a sociological perspective, it is difficult to significantly improve the economic poverty of single-mother households— which consist mainly of low-educated people—by expanding employment support measures. Furthermore, it is important to eliminate the labor market disadvantages that women face through marriage and childbirth to improve their economic status.
My fields of specialization are family sociology and the social stratification theory. I began this particular research theme based on the awareness that quantitative research in Japan regarding social issues surrounding single-parent households—including inequality, poverty, housing, health, childcare costs, and child well-being—has not been sufficiently accumulated in either field compared with research outside Japan.
The 2002 revision of the Act on Welfare of Mothers with Dependents and Widows and other related laws is viewed as triggering a shift in the focus of Japan’s single-parent family support policies from “welfare-to-work.” The series of workfare reforms was based on the maternal and child welfare reforms developed in the U.S. and U.K. in the 1990s and are assumed to have been a response to the increasing cost of social security benefits for single-parent households amid persistent financial difficulties. Given the Japanese family system’s strong “male-breadwinner model,” it is easy to imagine that women, who are more likely to leave or change jobs after marriage or childbirth, tend to experience economic disadvantages in reentering the workforce or engaging in economic activities after divorce. However, in a review of previous studies, I noticed that data-based academic and policy discussions on the social consequences of the aforementioned policy shift toward employment support measures are completely missing in Japan. The starting point of this study was to deepen constructive discussions based on an elaborate analytical model, identifying at which point the problems surrounding employment and poverty (vs. economic independence) of single-parent households could not be attributed to individual self- responsibility but were fundamental problems stemming from the Japanese employment system.
Findings of the analysis suggest that the “unintended consequence” of the expansion of employment support measures, one of the active labor market policies since the 2000s, has increased the economic vulnerability of single-mother households in the current labor market. After publication of my paper, I had some regret over the possibility that I might not have shown sufficient sociological consideration in the conclusion, but I was pleased that the policy argument based on the results of the statistical analysis was highly evaluated as a reason for selecting the paper for the Encouragement Award.
It is clear from published OECD data that Japanese single-parent households, unlike households in other Western countries, have a unique characteristic in that they simultaneously have high employment and poverty rates. International comparative studies of single-parent households outside Japan often focus on the U.S. and European countries; Japan, as an East Asian country, is often excluded from such analyses. Although you should have certain reservations about comparability with other countries due to data limitations, Ibelieve that the findings of this study can provide important insights into the relationship between employment and poverty (vs. economic independence) among single mothers. The findings also promote an understanding of similarities and dissimilarities between Japan and other countries, especially Western European countries.
From a methodological standpoint, this is one of the few sociological studies in Japan to use individual data from official statistics. I hope to see more sociological research based on a secondary analysis of official statistics regarding minority groups, such as single-parent households, second-generation immigrants, and the unemployed, which are difficult to adequately capture in ordinary academic surveys.
The individualization and destabilization of families since the 1990s has resulted in an increase in the number of unmarried people who do not enjoy emotional and resource support (e.g., housework, childcare, care, counseling) from spouses and their relatives. The increase in the number of single-parent households—the subject of this study—is a typical example. In Japanese society, where the birth rate is declining, the population is aging, and rates of the unmarried and divorced are steadily rising, the increase in the number of unmarried people with high social risks (e.g. poverty, social isolation) is expected to have a serious impact on the sustainability of public social security programs, such as pensions and long-term care.
In the future, we plan to use official statistics for sociological research on the relationship between demographic changes in marriage and marital relations, disparities and social inequalities, and public social security programs.
