Empowered or Not? Exploring the Conundrum of Increasing Female Schooling and Stagnant Female Labor Market Participation in Japan, China and India

This paper attempts to explore the connections between expanding female education and the participation of women in paid employment in Japan, China and India, three of Asia’s largest economies. Analysis based on data and literature shows that despite the large expansion in educational access in these countries in the last half century women lack egalitarian labour market opportunities. A combination of social discouragement and individual choice largely explains the withdrawal, nonparticipation or intermittent female presence in the labour force notwithstanding increased educational access. In taking stock, parallel experiences of women in these countries can be traced back to persistent gender norms which imply the centrality of marriage and non-market unpaid labour for women. The paper argues the need for gender sensitive public policy in order for increased education to translate to labour market gains for women leading to sustainable development outcomes.