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Paper short abstract:

Based on twenty interviews, this paper analyzes the careers of Japanese female high rank bureaucrats (obstacles, strategies, etc.). This paper also shows how some of them have used a window of opportunity to voice their demands to re-assess ministries' organizational norms and work-style practices.

Paper long abstract:

Although it has been steadily increasing over the past 30 years, the feminization of the senior civil service remains relatively low (16% in 2018). Nevertheless, since the "Abenomics" and the Prime Minister's injunction to the bureaucracy to "firstly put its own house in order" (mazu kai yori hajimeyo) in 2014, the ministries have demonstrated significant efforts in this regard. Beyond the intention to feminize decision-making positions in order to take more into consideration women's needs in the production of public policies, the government tries to fulfil its exemplary duty towards the private sector.

Based on several reports published by ministries, on manually aggregated data and on twenty female bureaucrats' interviews (conducted between 2018 and 2020), this paper is an attempt to fill a gap in the literature that has so far focused - with an exception (Noble, 2019) - either on the situation of Japanese women in the private sector (Nemoto, 2016; Roberts, 2019), or in politics (e.g., Miura, Eto, 2014). After explaining some specificities of Japanese female bureaucrat's situation (examination-based recruitment, job security, good wage, low resignation rate, very high maternity and parental leave take-up rates, etc.), this paper analyzes the mechanisms that create obstacles in their career. In order to break this "glass ceiling" and to overcome the apparent incompatibility between their family life and the culture of total professional commitment in the bureaucracy, women seem to have essentially relied on individual strategies so far.

However, this paper also shows how some young female bureaucrats have recently used a political window of opportunity to voice their demands - shared by many young male bureaucrats - to re-assess the organizational norms and the work-style practices in the ministries. Although a "critical mass" (Dahlerup, 2006) has not yet been reached, we argue that the progressive feminization of the bureaucracy is pushing state administrations to reform themselves, thus demonstrating in a way, that the increase in the number of female bureaucrats has already brought some positive effects. Further research will be needed to assess whether and under what conditions these changes will be reflected in public policy.