One thing that sets the Japanese labor force apart from practically all others in the developed world is the lack of women in permanent salaried positions. Unlike their Western counterparts, Japanese women seem resistant to the "you can have it all" mantra that has prevailed since the 1980s, and often abandon their careers when they have children.

As the labor force shrinks with the falling birthrate, captains of industry and gender scholars seem at a loss to explain why educated women are so reluctant to combine raising children with climbing the corporate greasy pole. This is a phenomenon that led Kris Kosaka to comment somewhat satirically in this paper (Zeit Gist, March 31) that Japan is awash with "overqualified housewives."

Naturally, I understand that some mothers prefer to stay home and invest their education in their children. However, that didn't stop me wondering why quite so many choose to give up promising careers — that is, until the arrival of our own child. When we discovered a baby was imminent, we decided to check out the local child-care facilities, confident that, with plenty of advance preparation, we would find a good nursery so I could return to work when the 16-week maternity leave ended. Although kind colleagues had urged me to take a year's leave, I opted to return so early because, as family breadwinner, I couldn't afford any loss of earnings.