Women, Work and the Japanese Economic Miracle: The case of the cotton textile industry, 1945-1975

This book shows how, during the period of the Japanese economic miracle, a distinctive female employment system was developed alongside, and different from, the better known Japanese employment system which was applied to male employees. Women, Work and the Japanese Economic Miracle describes and analyses the place of female workers in the cotton textile industry, which was a crucially important industry with a large workforce. In presenting detailed data on such key issues as recruitment systems, management practices and the working experience of the women involved, it demonstrates the importance for Japan's postwar economy of harnessing female labor during these years.

Helen Macnaughtan is Handa Fellow in Japanese Business and Management at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.