Marriage Rate and Female Labor Participation Rate: Evidence from Japanese prefectural cross-section (Japanese)

Based on Japanese prefectural cross-sectional data, marriage rates and female labor force participation rates are positively correlated, while the trade-off between them has been observed with time series data. The key fact for understanding this positive correlation is that job exit rates due to marriage vary across prefectures while almost constant over time. Since a decline in marriage rates over last two decades has been strongly correlated with the turnover rate, a positive correlation has emerged. In addition, the exit rate depends on the availability of child care services, while childcare leave or cohabitation with parents has little affect on the rate.