This book examines key issues in gender equality and corporate social responsibility in Japan. Legal compliance, the business case and social regulation are examined as driving factors for enhancing gender equality in corporations. In turn, case studies from various contexts, such as the hotel industry, retail and financial services companies add practical insights to the theoretical debate. The role of governments, NGOs and supranational organizations is examined as well. Given its scope, the book will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students, scholars, policymakers and practitioners interested in advancing the gender, CSR and sustainability debates.

The in-depth analyses presented in this book have a dual focus: (1) Social mechanisms through which the gender wage gap, gender inequality in the attainment of managerial positions, and gender segregation of occupations are generated in Japan; and (2) Assessments of the effects of firms’ gender-egalitarian personnel policies and work–life balance promotion policies on the gender wage gap and the firms’ productivity. In addition, this work reviews and discusses various economic and sociological theories of gender inequality and gender discrimination and considers their consistencies and inconsistencies with the results of the analysis of Japanese data. Furthermore, the book critically reviews and discusses the historical development of the Japanese employment system by juxtaposing rational and cultural explanations. This book is an English translation by the author of a book he first published in Japanese in 2017. The original Japanese-language edition received two major book awards in Japan. One was The Nikkei Economic Book Culture Award, which is given every year by the Nikkei Newspaper Company and the Japan Economic Research Center to a few best books on economy and society. The other was The Showa University’s Women’s Culture Research Award, which is bestowed annually on a single book of research that promotes gender equality. Kazuo Yamaguchi is the Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago.

Through analysis of trends and policy options, combined with interviews with 21 female role models from business to the arts, Bill Emmott takes an optimistic look at how a society with an extreme level of gender inequality, an ageing population, and slow economic growth can achieve greater social justice and sustainable prosperity for the future.

Working women everywhere face discrimination. Inequality and lack of inclusion is reinforced through regulation, policy, behaviors and attitudes. Although there has been progress in some countries, gender equality at work has yet to be achieved by any nation.This in-depth study examines the challenges faced by working women, their families and communities in ten countries throughout Asia and the Pacific: New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Pakistan and the Philippines. Informed by the work of senior academics, policy-makers and community grouprepresentatives, and with a foreword by Elizabeth Broderick, independent expert for the Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls, United Nations Human Rights Council, working women' s experiences are described and analyzed within a framework of four themes: demography, globalization, technological development and sustainability.Drawing on this wide range of qualitative and quantitative evidence, the authors set out recommendations for coordinated and context-sensitive responses specific to each country to improve the working lives of women and girls.

Finally, a book that crosses the great divide between academia and practice a rare feat, especially in edited volumes with scholarly contributions. . . there is much to like about what the book does cover. Wayne Visser, Ethical Performance Mallin brings together academics and business experts to share a wide range of accounts from across the globe. Readers will find insights and guidance on how countries and companies have tried to balance the perceived needs of often disparate groups. James McRitchie, CorpGov.net Chris Mallin has put together a fine volume providing detailed insights into the global spread of CSR. It wonderfully showcases the diversity and dynamics of CSR in different countries, regions and key industries. It is an essential read for everybody interested in the dialectics of global homogenization and local adaptation of CSR-related management practices. Dirk Matten, York University, Toronto, Canada Professor Mallin has edited a remarkable range of studies, illustrating how companies across the world regard and respond to their social responsibilities. Her book will prove an invaluable source of information for everyone interested in comparative corporate social responsibility, aided by the admirable learning points and questions following each case study. It will also be turned to for guidance by investors concerned to promote corporate social values internationally. Sir Adrian Cadbury, Aston University Business School, Birmingham, UK Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an area of increasing global interest with companies taking CSR issues more seriously, devoting more resources to such issues and acknowledging the benefits of CSR activities. This insightful book provides a comprehensive analysis of the development of CSR in a diverse range of countries including the UK, Italy, Poland, Turkey, the USA, the Middle East, Australia, Japan and Korea. Christine Mallin has brought together leading experts from both academia and the business world to provide fully up-to-date accounts of developments in CSR from a range of legal, cultural and economic perspectives. This timely resource will serve as an invaluable teaching and resource tool for advanced students and academics and will provide insights and guidance to the wider business community.

The number of women in positions of power and authority in Japanese companies has remained small despite the increase in the number of educated women and the passage of legislation on gender equality. In Too Few Women at the Top, Kumiko Nemoto draws on theoretical insights regarding Japan’s coordinated capitalism and institutional stasis to challenge claims that the surge in women’s education and employment will logically lead to the decline of gender inequality and eventually improve women’s status in the Japanese workplace. Nemoto’s interviews with diverse groups of workers at three Japanese financial companies and two cosmetics companies in Tokyo reveal the persistence of vertical sex segregation as a cost-saving measure by Japanese companies. Women’s advancement is impeded by customs including seniority pay and promotion, track-based hiring of women, long working hours, and the absence of women leaders. Nemoto contends that an improvement in gender equality in the corporate system will require that Japan fundamentally depart from its postwar methods of business management. Only when the static labor market is revitalized through adoption of new systems of cost savings, employee hiring, and rewards will Japanese women advance in their chosen professions. Comparison with the situation in the United States makes the author’s analysis of the Japanese case relevant for understanding the dynamics of the glass ceiling in U.S. workplaces as well.

This book presents initiatives that were launched or are currently being pursued in the name of CSR, and showcases how different dimensions of CSR, sustainability, ethics and governance can help to solve global challenges. Contributions by international experts from Australia to Bangladesh and from Nigeria to Spain address current issues in their respective country, such as challenges faced by nations, initiatives launched in the name of CSR, and attempts on the part of small and medium sized enterprises to promote CSR initiatives. This volume provides readers with in-depth insights into CSR and important initiatives around the globe intended to encourage more responsible behavior.