The government is ramping up initiatives to rectify gender wage disparities, aiming to address structural labor shortages and boost economic growth by empowering women in the workplace and promoting a healthy work-life balance.
According to the labor ministry, the average monthly wage for full-time female workers last year was ¥262,600, about 75% of the ¥350,900 earned by men. The gap is wider than the average of about 88% for member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2021.
One factor is the so-called L-shaped curve phenomenon, which shows a decline in the proportion of women aged 30 or older who remain in regular employment, primarily due to childbirth and child care responsibilities.