A Multinominal Logistic Approach to the Labor Force Behavior of Japanese Married Women

by
Tadashi Yamada
Tetsuji Yamada
Frank Chaloupka

National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
Working Paper No. 1783
Reprinted with Permission

ABSTRACT

Using a multinominal logistic approach, we analyze the interdependencies among the labor force participation decisions of married women in Japan. These decisions are working part-time, working full-time, being unemployed (in the labor market but unable to find work), and not participating. Our focus is on the interdependency between the decision to work part-time and the decision to work full-time. Our results indicate that married women working full-time view part-time work as a good substitute, but the reverse is not observed. We also obtain estimates of the own-wage elasticity for both forms of participation and find that part-time labor force participation of Japanese married women is substantially more elastic that that of their full-time counterparts. These findings reinforce the view that married women in Japan with loose ties to the labor market are quite responsive to changes in the returns to work.

PDF 479KB

Back to Top