THE FEMALE-DOMINATED PATH AND ATTAINMENT OF MARITAL STATUS FOR JAPANESE WOMEN

Abstract: Why do many Japanese women choose female-dominated occupations, even though it is generally believed that they lead to dead-end careers? In this article, I posit that under the conditions of existing discrimination by employers and structural barriers, many Japanese women are investing in this “feminine path ” (non-career clerical or assistant roles in large companies) which endows women (or so they believe) with certain advantages in acquiring status through marriage (“attainment of marital status“). I call this “feminine capital”, and it is one reason why women choose these paths.1 I argue that these feminine paths can benefit them in attaining marital status more than gender-neutral occupations, es-pecially when women are not capable of pursuing highly selective gender-neutral occupations.2 Feminine occupations are considered to have benefits when com-pared to gender-neutral occupations, mainly because they have advantages in cul-tural capital and social capital. 1