Caring for the elderly and holding down a job : how are women coping in Japan?

Abstract

Findings from Nihon University's 1999-2000 Japan Longitudinal Study of Ageing show that more than half of Japanese women who live with an elderly parent or parent-in-law are employed outside the home. Even in households where the elderly family member is very old or seriously disabled, large proportions of women continue to hold down full- or part-time jobs. These finding should be reassuring to Japanese policymakers who are concerned that middle-aged women remain in the labor force while continuing to care for elderly family members at home.